ReWriting a Fairytale
by MidnightRosebud
Summary: A marriage contract was signed to seal a treaty of peace. She fell in love at first sight. In one horrifying night he was dead. The treaty still holds, but her new betrothed holds secrets behind his cold, emotionless facade.
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes: **Hey hi and welcome to the beginning of "Re-Writing a Fairytale." It's my first Naruto fanfiction so I hope it follows through well. I'm actually a little nervous about writing in a new area, but I hope that you enjoy the story. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Enjoy!

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**Prologue: Harsh Reality**

She stood at the altar, her hand in his as the Holy man began to recite the vows of matrimony. Tears chased each other down her sodden face as she barely heard what the wizened old man in front of her said as he continued to drone on, oblivious to her pain. The crystal-like tears slid off her face and decorated her bouquet like shimmering diamonds.

All her life she had dreamt of this day; to be married and live happily-ever-after, just like in the stories her mother had once read to her as a child. She had already lost that dream once, and for a brief shining moment she had believed that she had had it back. Now her dream had shattered into a nightmare as she prepared to pledge her life to the one person she loathed more than anyone in all of creation. Her vision swam before her as her aching heart began to wrench itself apart at the mere thought.

This isn't how it was supposed to happen. I would rather die than marry him, but what choice do I have…?

"…and do you, Lady Sakura Haruno, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold? For richer or poorer? In sickness and in health? 'til death do you part? As long as you both shall live?" The wrinkled old face momentarily looked up from his recitation when she didn't respond immediately, slightly confused.

Sakura stole a quick glance at her soon-to-be husband to see him staring her down with such force that her breath caught in her throat, his intense, murderous eyes holding the threat he had promised to make true if she didn't cooperate. She quickly blinked her own emerald orbs away, and let her eyes stray to the waiting gallows standing a mere fifty feet from where she stood. Her heart gave an almighty lurch at the sight that met her eyes there, and she tore her gaze away before a fresh wave of tears could overwhelm her.

"Lady Sakura," the Holy man prompted after her continued silence.

"…I…" she began, her voice meek and shaky. She bit her lip to hold back the strangled screams of rejection she wished to shout to the heavens.

_You have to do this. If you don't only death awaits, for everyone. Just do it! You're saving lives, many of them, particularly _his_. Your soon-to-be knows you're only doing this for the sake of the one you love. Prove how much you love _him_, do what you have to. Do your duty, no matter how much it hurts…_

Sakura inhaled slowly and released it steadily through her mouth. She re-arranged her facial features to mirror the expression of the man next to her, and lifted her sight back to the elder man before her.

He patiently waited for her response, assuming she typical wedding jitters.

Silent tears continued to course down her face, but she never wavered.

"…I," she began again, her voice stronger than before, but lacking all emotion except resignation. She felt an echo of pain that reflected the pain in her own heart as she prepared to lose all hope of love for the second time in her life.

Her dark-haired companion waited without a sound to see if she would hold through with her promise. He wondered idly if she even had the faintest inkling as to what awaited her the moment she said, "I do."


	2. Fancy Script & Delicate Words

**Author's Notes:** Hey Hi and welcome to the first chapter of this story. Things should get fun from here on out, or at least I hope they do. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. Until the Next Chapter!

_Disclaimer: -snorts- Yeah right. Me own Naruto? If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here writing a fanfiction would I?_

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**Chapter One: Fancy Script & Delicate Words**

Once upon a time, a long, long time ago…

There were kingdoms that fought for the most power and control. They fought not only each other, but themselves as well for the right to reign over everyone. These battles soon became so costly in both human and monetary value that different kingdoms began to ally themselves with one another to strike at others with more force and less casualties. The new allies would form a treaty of peace between them and seal it with a contract of marriage. Thus, the heirs to such kingdoms were closely guarded and seen as highly valuable to all, from the highest monarch to the lowest peasant. After all, these youths were entrusted with the power to make or break all of their lives with the two simple words "I do."

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A heavily guarded wooden carriage made its way steadily down the beaten dirt road, as it bounced along to the numerable stones left in place. The warriors in charge of protecting this vehicle never stopped scanning the horizons for a surprise attack from an enemy; any of them caught unawares had better hope they were killed in the skirmish as the carriage's contents were worth more than their lives.

Inside, a six year-old little girl swung her legs merrily underneath her long skirts as she grinned excitedly at the woman sitting across from her.

"Mama?" the little girl asked.

"Yes, dear?" the regal woman asked back as she sat with perfect posture and a gentle grace her daughter had yet to mimic correctly.

"Will they like me?" the little girl continued with a curious, nervous hint to her voice.

The woman held her arms open, and the little girl eagerly hopped off her own seat and climbed into her mother's lap. "It's going to go just fine, Sakura. Just you wait and see. Remember to act like the young lady I know you are, mind your manners and etiquette, and you shall fulfill your duty splendidly," she assured her only child as she fiddled with her daughters silken gown and long pink tresses, trying to still her own nervousness at the same time.

"How come daddy didn't come with us?"

The mother sighed slightly, explaining again, "Your father is our Sire; the King of our land. He cannot be gone long from the castle for a long period of time right now, and we do not know how long this will take. But he will be thinking of us the entire time, and he wishes are endeavor proceeds well."

"If I'm a good girl and complete my duty, does that mean I get to be like you? Do I get to become a Queen one day?" the bright, green eyes on Sakura's face lit up at the idea as she eagerly awaited her mother's answers.

Her mother chuckled and held her daughter close, "Someday, when you have grown up into a fine young lady, and when you are of a marriageable age. Then you shall marry your prince and receive your happily ever after, but first we must go and meet the two who are awaiting us; one of them will become your betrothed."

"That's not how it works in the stories you tell me," the young Sakura argued, a slight frown on her face.

The Queen raised her eyebrows. "How is it supposed to work then?"

"The princess is supposed to have an adventure first, and then she falls into danger. Then the handsome prince is supposed to come rescue her. Then they kiss, and _then_ they live happily ever after," she answered, her eyes a-glow in a daydream.

"You know, Sakura," the Queen began exasperatingly, but stopped when she caught the look on her daughters' face. She sighed inwardly, and changed what she was going to say. "How about I tell you one of those stories right now, to pass the time? We have a way to go still."

"Alright," Sakura agreed enthusiastically, as she settled further into her mother's lap, and began to picture the story unfolding before her as the tale started. By the time the story had reached its end, though, she was fast asleep.

Her mother smiled lovingly down into her daughters' face. "I really hope that you receive your happy ending, my daughter, you deserve so much more. I am sorry that this is being forced upon you so suddenly. I wish that there were more that I could do than give you sweet dreams to hide the cruel world you will grow into. Sleep for now." She kissed her softly on her wide forehead and held her baby in her arms, safe for the moment.

And so it was that Sakura suddenly found herself rubbing her eyes awake, and trying to remember where she was when the carriage ride finally came to its end, and her mother gently announced. "We've arrived." She set her daughter down on her feet and smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in Sakura's gown and combed her fingers through her mussed-from-sleep hair, before straightening herself as well.

There was a knock on the wooden door, as a voice announced, "Your Majesties, Lady Haruno and Lady Sakura, we have arrived at the Uchiha castle," and opening the door swiftly. As the footman helped out first her mother and then herself, Sakura squinted up at the expansive sandy-colored stone fortress with its double turrets before her.

Her first impression was that it wasn't as beautiful as her pale-colored stone walls at home, but it was certainly warm looking, almost invitingly so. Its windows went up five floors from what she could see on the ground, and its entrance was a little off to the right, proceeded by worn, smooth stairs that turned left from the ground to open onto a flat surface in which to enter through the doors. Ivy had crept up the left-most turret to nearly its top floor and covered nearly the entire first floor walls. The dark, numerous trees set behind and around the castle, off-set by the clear blue sky made the corners of her mouth turn up, as it really began to sink in that this would be her home for the remainder of her visit.

As Sakura had been studying the architecture, she had failed to notice that the heavy wooden front doors had opened to admit a small crowd of its own. The small knot of people were making their way toward the two of them, and their company, before a small flutter of butterflies made themselves noticed in Sakura's belly. Shyly she shifted herself behind her mother's skirts and peeked out from the side.

"Welcome to our home," a soft feminine voice called out when the group was a mere fifteen feet from them. Sakura quickly spotted the speaker of the voice, and stared in wonderment at the women before her with her long midnight hair that looked like the night sky had broken off a piece of itself for her, with matching eyes complete with a twinkle of starlight in their depths.

"Her Majesty, the Queen, Lady Uchiha," a monotone voice announced as the beauty came to a rest in front of them.

"It is an honor," Sakura's mother responded as she dipped into a graceful, flowing curtsy as her name too was announced. Sakura tried to mimic her mother, but wobbled slightly before hiding behind her mother again, her face flushed.

"The honor is all ours," Lady Uchiha replied in the like. "I hope the journey was not too long or uncomfortable for the both of you. Let us return inside to my rooms and relax."

"As your ladyship suggests," Lady Haruno answered back as she joined the other Queen and followed her inside, Sakura right alongside them as she gripped her mother's skirt in her fist.

Lady Uchiha led the mother and daughter pair into a side room on the fourth floor that looked out and beyond the treetops that fluttered in the slightest breeze. Each took their seats and Sakura tried to stay true to her mother's wishes by sitting gracefully into her seat, but the chair was still slightly too tall for her, and she ended up needing aid, much to her chagrin. However, Lady Uchiha merely smiled fondly at the blushing girl, and made the comment, "You are a very pretty young lady, Miss Sakura, just like your mother."

"Thank You," Sakura whispered to her lap.

"It is a shame I was never able to have a daughter of my own," the dark-haired Queen continued, "but I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with my two fine young sons. Would you like to meet them?" She directed the question at Sakura.

Sakura could only nod her head in response, still too amazed at this woman's beauty and grace to say or do much else. Her mother raised an arm and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her daughter's ear. "You're doing just fine," Lady Haruno encouraged, as the Uchiha Queen called for her own children to be brought to her. "Do not worry. She will not bite. Nor will they."

Up-lifted by her simple words, Sakura tried to sit up straighter, as she crossed her ankles together and hid them beneath the folds of her skirts like she had been taught. She waited with her hands in her lap, her heart beating slightly faster than normal as she tried to copy her mother and look "grown-up." And so it was that when the door opened again, she was ready to face the choices of her soon-to-be betrothed.

"Presenting their Majesties, Master Itachi and Master Sasuke," the seemingly same monotone voice announced, and Sakura vaguely wondered if it was the same man as earlier, before her heart skipped a beat at the two young heirs standing before her.

"Itachi," Lady Uchiha greeted, and the tallest, older heir bowed in response. His long, dark hair was pulled together at the nape of his neck, and his far-away eyes, emphasized by deep twin lines that led away from the corners, seemed to indicate that there was more to him than a first glance.

"Mother," he responded tonelessly.

"Sasuke," Lady Uchiha welcomed her youngest, as he too bowed in respect. Sakura's heartbeat sped up as she stared at the midnight-haired boy before her. He appeared to be around her age, and his fiery, deep eyes reflected a driven passion that seemed to guide his every move. Sakura could see where he had received the full force of his looks.

"Mother," he answered in reverence, deep faith, and trust. Sakura felt the heat creep up her face at the sound of his voice, and she struggled to keep her expression composed.

"This is Lady Haruno and her daughter Sakura," she indicated the two sitting across from her, as Sakura's heart seemed to go into overdrive as the younger Uchiha heir, Sasuke, her mind reminded her, raised his own gaze to look at hers. As onyx met emerald Sakura felt that waves of heat must be pulsating off her face, and her heart was sure to burst through her chest. She immediately dropped her eye-line to her hands as they clenched in her lap.

Lady Haruno, noting Sakura's behavior placed a comforting hand on the small of her back and gave her daughter a gentle nudge, as a knowing smile slid across her face. In response to her mother's touch Sakura tried to get off her chair lady-like and all but managed it, faltering only slightly until her feet reached the ground. She swept a deep curtsy, concentrating on keeping her balance the entire time, and not trusting herself to raise her eyes, certain that her already shaking knees would give out on her.

Lady Uchiha had correctly read Sakura's reaction as well, and shared a hopeful smile of her own with Lady Haruno. She turned to her youngest. "Sasuke? Since Sakura is your own age, how about you show her around for us?"

Sasuke's eyebrows knit together in a slight frown, his previous plans now interrupted, but he caught the look in his mother's eyes and agreed reluctantly. "Alright," he all but sighed, Itachi already gone from sight as he had dismissed himself. "Come on, I'll show you around," Sasuke grudgingly indicated that Sakura should follow.

"Go," Lady Haruno urged quietly when Sakura did not move from her spot.

Sakura blinked, then lurched forward, nearly tripping on her skirts, as she turned as red as a cherry and meekly followed behind the raven-haired boy. He tried to keep from smirking at her tumble, especially with his mother watching him with that keen eye of hers. The two left their mother's behind, Sasuke leading the way and Sakura a few steps behind, watching the floor. Which caused her to nearly fall over as she very nearly ran into him when he stopped when they were out of earshot of the white-paneled door and its inhabitants. Startled, Sakura looked up to see what had caused the sudden halt to see him eyeing her critically.

Sasuke eyed the bright-eyed young girl before him. For the life of him he couldn't figure out why she was nearly tripping over herself and avoiding his eyes. She almost seemed like she was afraid of him, except that her face was too red. He came to the conclusion that maybe he had done something to offend her in some way, and so he tried to relent and take her around more willingly. "So," he began, feeling suddenly awkward, "what would _you_ like to see?"

"What ever is fine," Sakura mumbled shyly.

This time Sasuke did sigh and frown in confusion and slight agitation. "Well that doesn't get us very far does it?"

Sakura fidgeted with her fingers as she continued to stare at the floor, and hoped that her bangs were hiding her face. "…I'm sorry," she whispered after a moment.

Sasuke continued to study her, irritated that she seemed to find the smooth flags of stone underneath their feet more interesting. "Why won't you look at me?" He finally demanded after they hadn't moved. He immediately regretted his actions, as she seemed to try to hide herself in the middle of the hall. Embarrassed at his abrupt outburst, a slight flush reached across his own face. "I'm going to go find my brother," he said after a moment of uncomfortable silence, and turned to set off down the hall. "You can come along if you want too." After several strides he peeked over his shoulder to see her following behind him, and he felt relief and something else rush through him. At least she had decided to follow, he didn't know what his mother would have said if he had really left her there alone. "You _can_ walk next to me you know," he said after another moment. He almost felt the small timid smile on her face as she picked up her pace to match his.

Sasuke suddenly stopped in front of an impressive floor-length painting on the stone wall on their right. He looked at the now excited girl next to him and scrutinized her carefully. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked in a conspiratorial tone. He was pleased when she finally met his gaze again.

Sakura felt a sliver of excitement run through her as she nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes," she answered back just as carefully.

Sasuke looked around several times before dropping his voice so that Sakura had to lean in to catch it. "There's a secret door hidden here that leads to the kitchen and then outside, but hardly anyone else knows about it," he indicated the painting beside them with his head. "Come on," he continued as he pried the secret door open, grabbed her hand and pulled her inside behind him before easing the door closed. "Hang onto me so that you don't fall," he instructed as he skillfully located a used candle and a match in the dark and lit both.

The single flame guided the pair down in a seemingly endless spiral until Sakura's head began to spin, but she clung to his arm for support, and Sasuke didn't try to shake her off. At the bottom he deftly put out the light and hid it away, before quietly opening the door and peeking out into the busy kitchen. He pulled Sakura out into the shadowy corner with him, and when he was sure everyone was busy, slipped her out the door a few feet away.

Sakura's eyes watered from the sudden brightness, but a grin radiated from her face. "That was so much fun!" Sakura commented as she followed next to Sasuke as they walked across the grounds and toward the forest beyond. "Where are we going now?" She felt a sudden nervousness sprout from Sasuke and she looked at him quizzically. "What's wrong?"

"Well, before you arrived here, I was going to go train with my brother in the forest, and…"

"Train? For what?" Sakura asked, genuinely curious.

Sasuke raised his eyebrows. "To protect myself and anyone else who needs it. Plus, I want to be just as good as my brother one day. He's one of the best warriors around." The pride and unfaltering determination in his voice was evident.

"Wow," Sakura breathed. _This is just like the stories Mother always tells me. _"Can I watch?"

Sasuke was taken a-back slightly. "You really want to? I mean, you don't mind?"

Sakura shook her head. "I want to watch. I promise to be quiet, and I'll help if you want me to. So that you can get better."

"If you're sure," Sasuke agreed a bit reluctantly at first, but soon led the way with more enthusiasm of his own.

Together they nearly raced each other around the trees and over small rocks and fallen branches. Sakura eventually gave up trying to be "lady-like" and hiked up her skirts around her knees and ran as much as her legs would let her. Soon enough they stumbled upon the Itachi's private training grounds and grinned at each other as they tried to catch their breath. They suddenly heard the sound of metal impaling wood, startled at the sight of several small knives imbedding themselves into a tree near them. Sasuke was the first to recover and immediately walked over to his brother to begin his training, adoration and resolve etched into every surface of his face.

Sakura's heart had clenched when she saw the mysterious older brother lurking in the shadows. Lurking, because to Sakura that's what he had appeared to be doing, like he had been watching them from the shadows. There was something about the careful expression on his face that wheedled a seed of doubt into her mind; something deep in her heart told her that he was different. She tried to shake the thought away, and succeeded for the most part, but the little voice continued to nag at her in the back of her mind.

She spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on a nearby log and keeping her hands busy as she watched the two brothers in fascination. While they had set up she had gathered wildflowers and began to braid them together, but she was never at it for too long as she continuously stopped to simply watch the siblings. It was clearly obvious which of the two was more skilled, but Sasuke wasn't doing too badly himself as far as Sakura was concerned. She knew she didn't have the ability and flexibility to fight like they did, she doubted she could even if she had been allowed to learn, but being a girl, fighting was not something she needed to know.

As the day dwindled on, Sakura tried to keep the two supplied with fresh water from a nearby stream, and stay out of the way. Itachi departed with a promise to help his little brother some more the next day, and Sakura thought they were done, but Sasuke continued on his own. It was twilight before he had finally had enough for the day, after collecting a number of his own bruises from some reckless stunts as he had tried to copy his brother.

Sakura felt a bit helpless when she knew that there wasn't much she could do for him. Instead she offered her shoulder to help him limp back home when he landed on his ankle wrong, but not before wrapping it securely in a cold, damp cloth she had torn from one of her inner petticoats. It was in this sorry and dirty state that they arrived back at the castle, much later than they had anticipated as the ankle had slowed them down quite a bit.

When they returned they found their mothers anxiously awaiting them. After tending to each child's needs separately, their mothers scolded them for having worried everyone so much. Sakura and Sasuke could feel the other's shame as they listened to their lectures about proper etiquette and how dangerous the woods were for two six-year olds on their own. After their mothers had their say, everyone sat in the formal dining room to finally get to their supper, but not before making an apology to everyone; they were careful not to catch the other's eye.

At dinner Sakura was able to finally meet the Uchiha Sire and King. She immediately became agitated when he seemed to do nothing but sing of honor and Itachi's accomplishments, while nothing much was said about Sasuke. However, she kept it bottled inside knowing she had done enough damage for one day, and her mother would not be pleased with her for speaking her opinion. She bit her tongue and concentrated on the meal, after which she was put immediately to bed, as it was much later than she was supposed to be up.

And so the weeks followed with both Lady Haruno and Lady Uchiha noting the friendship growing between their two little ones, and encouraging them to continue. In a short manner of time the promise of marriage contracts were officially drawn up and both Sakura Haruno's and Sasuke Uchiha's names were written in fancy cursive and sealed with their families crests; at six-years old the two were officially betrothed.

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A growing feeling of anxiety had built in Sakura as the days she spent in the Uchiha castle dwindled down, but she accounted it to having to return home soon and leave her new playmate behind. The morning that the two Haruno females were to depart, Sakura allowed her mother to fuss with her hair and dress without complaint wishing to look her best. They said their good-byes, and gave their gratitude before getting ready to climb into their awaiting carriage for the long ride home. Sakura's mother climbed in first, and Sakura herself waited patiently behind as she looked again at their farewell party of the entire Uchiha family.

The King stood off to the left side slightly, his arms folded across his chest, his dark eyes and face as stern and as straight as his hair. On the far right stood Itachi, his face as empty as ever, but his eyes having taken on a new look that sent shivers up her spine. In the center stood Lady Uchiha as beautiful and smiling radiantly as ever, her hands resting lightly on her youngest son's shoulders. Sakura's eyes finally rested on Sasuke as he watched her leave; she knew he felt slightly crestfallen, but he tried to hide it.

She reacted on a whim as she put one foot on the carriage step. She turned back around and cupped her hands around her mouth before shouting, "I love you Sasuke! I'll become the perfect bride for you!" before jumping into the carriage very un-lady-like to hide the growing flush on her face. The Uchiha men just stared after the carriage and their last glimpse of silken pink hair in an awed stupor, as Lady Uchiha barely concealed her laughter.

Sakura's mother pressed her own lips together in an attempt to keep in her own laughter. Her barely waist-high daughter had just claimed her undying love for her fellow six-year old. She wondered how her husband would handle the news. _At least this marriage seems to be something she want…for now. I just pray that nothing changes her mind when the time actually comes. It's bad enough being forced into a marriage, but maybe this one will survive._ She looked at her daughter curiously.

Sakura flushed with pleasure at having worked up the courage to confess her feelings to Sasuke, and she had felt his echoing amusement. She couldn't wait to be old enough to marry him and live happily ever after, just like her favorite fairytales. The only thing overshadowing it all was a feeling like a shadow hanging over her, and it only became worse as she and her mother journeyed home.

Lady Haruno, noticing Sakura's distress questioned her daughter.

Sakura bit her lip. "Something's wrong. Something bad."

Lady Haruno became slightly alarmed and very confused, fearing something had happened at home, but worked to calm her daughter's fears and hide her own. When the two stepped out of their carriage and Lady Haruno saw her husband standing before their white-stoned castle that was their home, unharmed and everything intact, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief she didn't know she had been holding.

She eagerly shared her news of how well the betrothal had gone and her impressions over their evening meal that night. She tried to engage Sakura in the conversation, but Sakura was too distracted to contribute much.

"Are you sure everything went well?" Her husband inquired, puzzled over their daughter's responses.

Lady Haruno nodded. "Better than any of us could have hoped. Perhaps she is already longing for him…?" She trailed off at the sudden change in expression on her daughter's face. "Sakura?" her voice raised in alarm, as she rose to get out of her seat. "What's wrong, honey?"

Her husband was right behind her.

Sakura's face was as pale as the napkin across her lap and her eyes were wide in fear. "Something's wrong. Something really bad. It hurts." Sakura kept repeating the phrase over and over again as she stared wide-eyed at the table in front of her, her tiny fingers clutched in her skirts trembled with barely contained emotions.

"What's wrong? Who hurts?" her parents repeated their own questions as panic began to set in while they kneeled before their only child.

Suddenly Sakura's breath caught in her throat, and tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked, seeming to return to the present. Her tears cascaded down her face in never-ceasing torrents as she tried to curl up into a ball right there in her chair. Her mother scooped her right out of her chair and held her daughter tightly to her chest right on the floor beside the table. She rocked her back and forth and murmured empty words of comfort, as she still didn't know exactly what was wrong. "What is it baby? Who hurts?" Lady Sakura asked once more at a break in her daughter's heart-wrenching sobs.

By now the castle staff had begun to gather around their rulers, curious and alarmed. But they all heard quite distinctly through the echoing, silent room.

"…He hurt…"

Everyone began to look at each other confused, but it took Lady Haruno only a moment to process the two words. She looked up at her husband, suddenly fearful. "Send out your best and fastest warrior to the Uchiha clan. Immediately!"

Sakura's father didn't entirely understand what was going on, but had learned that his wife's instincts were usually never wrong. He signaled to a silver haired person waiting in the shadows, the dark-eyed person's face mostly obscured by a mask. The man stepped into the light momentarily to give a deep bow in a silent assent before he appeared to disappear into the very air.

Lady Haruno gracefully stood in one motion, while never disturbing her daughter, and walked swiftly from the room, not pausing to stop until she had reached her own. She held her daughter tightly in her arms wishing she could take the pain away, as sobs wracked the little body beneath her arms. Almost silently Sakura's father entered the room a few minutes later and sat with his wife until their daughter cried herself to sleep.

"What is it?" he whispered so as not to wake her.

"I fear that something terrible has happened to the Uchiha's. Especially to their youngest son, Sasuke, Sakura's betrothed," she answered softly back.

"How do you know?"

"She seems to have made a connection with him. Before a day had even gone by, they had already begun to feel echos of the other."

His breath caught in his throat. "So soon? She's hardly more than a child!"

"Love knows no boundaries."

"…What should we do now?"

Lady Haruno sighed quietly. "We wait and see what Kakashi brings back for us. Until then, we can only hope," she gazed at her daughter's tortured façade, tears still streaming down her face even in sleep.

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As they waited, Lady Haruno and the rest of the staff tried to keep Sakura occupied, but she did nothing but sit in her chair as if in a comatose state and stare at the wall before her. They did manage to convince her to eat eventually, but it was always a struggle at every meal. Eventually Lady Haruno summoned up her courage to tell Sakura that _he_ wanted her to eat, though it tore at her heart to see the look on her daughter's face as she said it. Granted, it was the most response they received out of her until Kakashi returned.

Kakashi swiftly knocked on the door as Lady Haruno and her husband observed Sakura struggling to eat, pain in their hearts. He entered and near silently shut the door behind him. Sakura's mother immediately rose from the kneeling position she had had on the ground next to her daughter. She grasped her husband's hand as they both looked to Kakashi.

Kakashi watched the hollow-eyed, pink-haired, little girl before him for a brief moment, his eyes full of pity before meeting her parents' anxious gazes. He shook his head slowly from side to side, his eyes closed, and his face full of remorse.

Lady Haruno gripped her husband's hand tightly in support for a moment as the extent of the news washed over her. Then she dropped to her daughter's side and hugged her tightly to her chest. "I'm so sorry sweetie. I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over again.

Sakura's eyes, empty of anything for a while now, suddenly filled with fresh tears as she clung to her mother like an infant and struggled to breathe past the lump in her throat.

Leaving his wife and daughter alone for a moment, Sakura's father followed Kakashi just outside the door to hear the news. A look of misery crossed his face as he glanced back toward the door behind him, his daughter's fresh sobs audible through the cracks, during the report.

Soon news spread of the Uchiha murder-assassination. In one horrid night every single member of the Uchiha clan had been annihilated. The King and Queen had been found face down on the floor of their own rooms, a tangible kind of horror on their faces; crimson blood splashed over everything, permanently staining the floor. Even most of the servants had been brutally cut down in the skirmish. Few had survived, and those that had had their lips tightly sealed; too horrified to speak of what they had seen. Most didn't stick around long afterwards and never spoke of that night again.

The one miracle out of this massacre was that one of the princes had survived. The eldest. Itachi. Badly wounded and bleeding, but somehow miraculously alive. Now he was the only hope his kingdom had left.

No one knew what had exactly become of the younger brother. His body was never found, and this at first gave the people hope, but as the years moved on, that hope dwindled until it all but faded away from existence. Most figured that his body was lost in pieces or disfigured beyond recognition, amongst the others who had suffered the same fate. He had been so little it wouldn't have taken much.

The Uchiha Kingdom mourned their heavy loss, but none so much as tiny, fragile Lady Sakura, Sasuke's once betrothed. Now she was a tragic widow before she had even had a chance to be married to her prince. Her dreams of a happily ever after had been dashed against the wall and fallen into pieces, along with her heart and her first love.

She never let her mother tell her another fairytale.


	3. Stains & Decisions

**Author's Notes:** Hey Hi and welcome to another chapter. I have had some positive feedback thus far, so I am going to assume that I am doing a fair job so far. Hopefully this continues! Thank you for reading! Enjoy! Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: I could never own the characters of Naruto, but they can certainly own me! XD_

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**Chapter Two: Stains & Decisions **

Losing so many in such a short period of time really threw certain things into sharp relief for Sakura. As ridiculous as it seemed to everyone else, she was never able to shake the feeling that if she had been there she could have helped in some way. She partially blamed herself for not listening to the feelings she had been having those precious few days on the ride home. She even suspected that the dull echoing feeling of loss that usually caught her unawares since then were her own form of punishment, forced onto her from her guilt-ridden conscious.

One day she decided to begin trusting her instincts and sought out one of the world's best medics, Tsunade. Tsunade was a tough, blonde woman with a tragic past of her own. Having lost her younger brother and fiancé at a young age, she was immediately sympathetic to Sakura's cause, and young as Sakura was at the time, set about teaching her everything she knew. Sakura's reasoning was to save every life she could to make up for every life that was lost that chilling night.

At the same time Sakura confronted her kingdom's best silver-haired warrior. She doubted she could be as good as _he_ once was, but hearing of how easily the Uchiha's lives had been erased, Sakura wanted to know how to take care of herself. That night had opened her eyes to the cruelty toward the unsuspecting in the real world, and she firmly believed that she would never let anyone try to protect her with their life. She would never need a prince to protect her, she would rescue herself; she didn't care how long it took to learn how. Kakashi silently agreed with her, and patiently guided her every step of the way.

Although her parents didn't exactly agree that Sakura should be exposed to such things, they couldn't exactly disagree either. They understood the motives behind their daughter's decisions, and allowed her to continue as long as she stuck to her regular duties as well. Over time they gradually adjusted to their daughter's…eccentricities, and gave their full support.

And so, twelve years passed in this pattern…

----------

"What?" an astonished, emerald-eyed young woman managed to force out in shock.

Lady Haruno, as poised and dignified as ever, pursed her lips together and continued to let her husband speak for them both. She knew the torment this conversation would bring her daughter and she loathed every minute of it.

"It is time for you to fulfill your obligations as the Haruno heir," Sakura's father repeated for her again. "We must uphold our side of the contract signed between us and the Uchiha's over a decade ago."

A now eighteen-year-old Sakura winced internally at the name her father used. It tore at the never-healed hole inside her chest; although it had never went away she had learned to live with it as long as certain restrictions were placed in her life. As an unspoken rule, no one ever mentioned the time when she was six, or anything related to that time.

A dull throbbing ache began along the edges of the hole, but she concentrated on the conversation, hoping against hope that it would go away.

"We waited as long as we could, but the peace treaty has been signed already. I know he was not your first choice, but you have to holdup to your responsibilities…" He trailed off when he realized his daughter was trying to tune him out, and he became irritated as well as exasperated. "It has been twelve years, Sakura! He is not coming back! He is d-"

Lady Haruno set a gentle hand on her husband's arm, cutting him off wordlessly as he looked down at her in her seat. One look of warning in her eyes and he sighed before letting her talk.

"Sakura," she began delicately, but firmly. "I know you loved him, and nothing will change that. Something that strong only happens once in a lifetime. Fortunately I experienced that with your father through our own arranged marriage, and you have inherited my Gift, one that will never sway your heart fully another way.

"However, we must uphold the contract, otherwise we risk war with Uchiha Itachi. He has taken over so many lands already; we know he has the power to do so here. You do not wish for that to happen here, right?"

"Of course not," Sakura mumbled vehemently, her long hair swinging back and forth as she shook her head. The hole's ache increasing the longer the conversation increased. Mention of _his_ brother was hard enough, but she knew she wouldn't last long if _his_ _name_ was mentioned too.

"Good," her mother continued with a soft sad smile. "I also think you are long overdue for paying your last respects to all of them. Do you not agree?"

The look on Sakura's face as she gazed back at her mother was enough of an answer, and the Haruno Queen proceeded cautiously, weighing her every word before she spoke it.

"Sakura, you should go and re-introduce yourself to Itachi. As much as we both wish against it, he is now your fiancé, and the only reason he has not sought control over our own kingdom yet. You know as well as we do that other kingdoms no longer have an heir; that was quickly dealt with when they tried to fight back. Your father and I do not wish this to happen to you too. At least, if you are with him, you will be safer. And though you do not love him as deeply as you once did with another, one day you may find him to be a suitable companion." Tears glistened in her eyes. "Please, sweetie, do this for all our sakes." Her husband's hand squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, and she placed her own on top to reassure him.

Sakura felt a stab of pain cut through her already bleeding heart. She knew her mother had wanted her to have her 'happily ever after,' and in their current situation this was as close as she would ever get. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to stay away from the sand colored building that haunted her dreams at night, ones that awoke her every morning in a cold sweat…

But for her parents who loved her, and her kingdom who would one day look to her, she would go to the ends of the Earth to protect them all. By marrying Itachi she would ensure her home's safety through peaceful cooperation. _I can do this. I'll just think of it as an obligatory responsibility. Nothing more._

So against her mind's screaming, and the hole's tearing at her insides, she nodded. Faintly more than a whisper she finally acquiesced.

"Alright. I will go."

----------

Sakura let the velvet curtain fall back across the window of her bumpy carriage, and sighed as she settled into the back of her seat once again. The landscape had changed dramatically from her own of white beaches and miles of coastline with the wide, open blue sea to one of intense dark forests and sharp shades of greenery. She knew she was getting close.

She had left several days after her parents' conversation, taking her time to pack and say her good-byes. She didn't know if she would ever be coming back, and so she had lingered as long as she was permitted to.

Saying farewell to Tsunade had been hard, she had been with her for so long, but Tsunade had left her with instructions to try out her talents in the rest of the world, and Sakura was anxious to prove herself.

Kakashi had suggested that he go along with Sakura, but she had firmly reassured him that she would be fine, he was needed more at home. She hoped it would never happen, but she wanted Kakashi with her parents in case anyone ever tried to do anything. Which she doubted since most of the surrounding lands were now under Itachi's control; he certainly hadn't waited very long to move along with his life. _Maybe he's trying to hide his grief by trying to make his parent's proud and being on top, being the best by covering up his feelings this way._ Sakura frowned. She seriously doubted it after all the rumors she had heard on her travels, but she tried to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

Her parents had been the hardest to leave behind. Her father had slipped a few times and she knew he wished for things to be different as well, but the sight of her mother's face was the hardest. Her last words to Sakura had been "I love you" and "I'm sorry," as she hugged her daughter like she would never let her go.

Parting with them all, and her childhood home had been hard, but hadn't hurt as much as other things, like _that_ night… She shook her head and forced her thoughts in another direction before she would regret it later.

Fortunately she didn't have to think anymore as she felt the momentum of the carriage slow down and finally come to a stop.

Suddenly her heart began to pound in her ears as she knew that what lay beyond her closed door was the living embodiment of her waking nightmares. She drew in a shaky breath and tried to steady herself. _It's just a building. It's just a building. It's someone else's home made of nothing more than slabs of stone. _She repeated her mantra until her nerves settled as she heard the knock on her door.

"We've arrived Young Miss," the footman announced, in a hushed voice that caught her attention and pulled her out of her dark thoughts, curious now. He opened the door and Sakura paused in her actions of stepping out.

The Uchiha home had changed. Not in any physical form to the castle itself, but it no longer radiated that comforting glow she remembered from her childhood days. The place seemed to have an ever-present cloud over itself and reeked of cold, raw strength and despair. She shivered involuntarily before stepping lightly onto the ground, as the footman removed his hand from hers after helping her out.

As eerie as the place was now, she felt a twinge of relief that it wasn't the same, it wouldn't force out too many memories of happier times the way it looked now.

The windows seemed dark and empty, and Sakura thought for a moment that she could almost hear the cries of pain and misery left over from that night; screams from the glassy surfaces hollows. She glanced back to those who had accompanied her to see their looks of dread at getting any closer, duty or not. She smiled wryly.A good-sized lightening bolt striking behind the forlorn castle would probably send them all flying home without so much as a second glance back.

Fortunately for all, a servant chose that moment to appear at the front doors and slowly, almost leisurely made his way toward them. Sakura didn't recognize the spiky pony tailed, brown haired teen in front of her, but he didn't look much older than her. She shrugged to herself. _He might be new_.

The servant stopped in front of them with a look like they had caused him an inconvenience by bothering to show up. "Welcome Lady Haruno. Your Lord is occupied at the moment, but will see you at your evening meal." He nearly spat the words at her in a way that clearly said he didn't want to be the one doing this.

Sakura was taken aback, but simply nodded in response, overlooking his tone. "Thank you," she responded politely before turning to her group. "Thank you for coming so far with me, give my best to Mother and Father," curtsying as she said it.

The Uchiha servant studied her curiously, as he instructed her servants to leave her things, someone else would be along shortly to take care of them. Then he turned to lead her inside.

Sakura lifted one of her bags off the floor, carrying it in her hand. The servant raised an eyebrow in her direction, but she merely smiled back. He sighed.

As he led her up the stairs to the front doors he looked back at her like he was going to ask her something, but then decided against it, like it was too bothersome to even try. His face erased everything he was thinking when the two stepped through the doorway and into the castle Sakura could never forget.

She let her eyes wander, hit with nostalgia everywhere she looked. The inside's physical appearance hadn't changed either. Although, it too held the feeling from the outside, one that sent chills up her spine, and it was almost ridiculously clean.

Feeling around the edges of the hole, she allowed herself to simply remember the physical place. If she didn't think about those that had lived here once, the effects shouldn't be too bad later. She left her feet to guide her as her mind wandered around the room, stopping only when they arrived at a familiar door on the fourth floor.

The beautifully carved, white-paneled door lay before her as perfect as she had remembered. The servant opened the door for her and she proceeded cautiously inside. It was no longer a sitting room, but a bedroom. A bed had been added along the far left wall, a nightstand next to it, and a chest of drawers on the other. However, the internal decorations, and the light airy feeling still clung to the place.

She felt her body relax slightly. That horrible feeling didn't leak too far inside here.

She turned to thank the servant that had led her, but he was already gone. Puzzled for a moment, she soon shrugged it off and set her bag down on the table and chairs that remained in the room from that long ago time, right in front of her. She sat on the bed and let her eyes wander again. _This is my room now. This is my home now…what do I do now?_

Sakura eventually slipped off her bed and fetched a book from her bag, sitting on the wide window ledge to study it. It was a book of her own creation, one she had been working on since she was six. In it she had recorded everything she had learned from both Tsunade and Kakashi. There were also numerous pages of facts and rumors that she had been told or overheard throughout her life. Something had urged her to make this written journal, and she had heeded its word unfalteringly. Who knew? It might prove useful one day. It certainly helped her studies run smoother. She began to read.

_(Two years ago…)_

_Report: Overheard conversation this morning between Father and Mother when I was on my way to practice with Kakashi-sensei…_

_The Nara kingdom has finally fallen. Their sixteen-year-old son and only heir, Shikamaru Nara, is presumed dead, no traces of his body were found in the aftermath of the skirmish. Itachi has successfully usurped the kingdom into his grasp, and has added it to his ever-expanding control of surrounding lands._

_Shikamaru's friend and ally, Chouji Akimichi, has too been presumed to have fallen in battle. The two kingdoms have been strong allies dating back centuries, the one and only kingdoms whose ties have never been severed._

_The Akimichi mourn their loss, but are still holding their own against Itachi and his rumored Akatsuki members. The Nara family sends help underground when the Akatsuki are distracted..._

A knock on the door, followed by the door opening brought Sakura's attention back to the present, but she didn't look up.

"Your things are here…_ma'am_," a feminine voice forced out the last word. She too sounded reluctant to be there, just as the last servant had.

"Leave them where they are. I'll attend to them shortly," Sakura responded, still reading.

_No one mourns the Nara's loss more than perhaps the girl he was courting, Ino Yamanaka, who has sworn to find him alive. Chances are not in her favor…_

The girl sighed, irritated. "I am to unpack them for you…_my Lady_," the woman grit out between her teeth.

_Report: Overheard through conversation Tsunade had with her assistant Shizune…_

_Ino Yamanaka and her entire squad have been found dead. Their bodies were massacred beyond recognition, piled in a heap unceremoniously, and left to carrion animals. No word yet on who performed this atrocious deed… _

Unmoving, Sakura responded, "That will not be necessary. I have two capable hands. I can do it myself."

_Her parents now too must mourn the loss of their daughter. Her father has taken the news particularly hard and has vowed to find the perpetrator at any cost._

"As you wish," the woman called out almost merrily and Sakura heard the door close again, enthusiastically.

Sakura shook her head, amusement on her lips. She book-marked the page she was re-reading, slipped down from the sill, shook out her skirts and set about attending her things. She hadn't brought much, but made sure she drew out unpacking it all for as long as she could manage. She succeeded in keeping herself occupied and distracted for the remainder of the day.

As day slipped into evening she lit her candles and continued, stopping only when a second knock resounded on her door.

The door opened a crack, just enough for the same feminine voice from earlier to float through. "Your meal is served." The door shut with a sound click.

Sakura took time to check herself in the mirror before descending down the hallway and stairs to face her new betrothed, whom she hadn't seen in the last twelve years. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she walked down the familiar path, avoiding the bits of the past that jumped out at her from every angle; she needed to be fully focused during the meal.

Sakura's first view of Itachi Uchiha, when she sat across from him on one end of the long table, hit her like a jolt of lightening. He hadn't changed much in the last decade or so. His hair was still long and tied back from his face, but his eyes were darker than ever, more like pitiless black holes that betrayed not even the slightest hint of emotions on his empty façade. The candlelight glinted off his eyes, and from a certain angle seemed to reflect a piercing red stare that stopped all before it in their tracks, mesmerized.

Slightly nervous now, she gracefully took her seat, remembering sharply the last time she had sat at that very table, before shoving the memory away quickly. The hole's fiery edge licked at the ragged wound inside her.

"Good evening, Sire," she greeted politely.

Itachi's gaze flickered to hers for a fraction of a second before ignoring her completely.

Slightly affronted, the corners of Sakura's mouth turned down, deciding, childishly she knew, to ignore him in return. They ate in silence, Itachi finishing before her and disappearing to who knew where.

Now cross, Sakura finished, thanked the servant and requested that he pass on her compliments to the chef before retiring for the night.

Curled up in her bed, the flames of the fireplace opposite her flickering and sending shadows everywhere, Sakura let her mind wander again. Even with the fire heating up her room, she couldn't shake her chill. Seeing Itachi again had resurfaced all her old thoughts and feelings about him. He still made her blood run cold for some unexplainable reason, and lying in bed in the same castle where the massacre had taken place made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. If it had been her in his place, she never would have set foot back inside the castle again.

Eventually her eyes drifted to sleep where her mind relaxed and released all the memories she could hold back during the daylight. The hole in her chest throbbed and ached and in the back of her mind she knew she would pay for it when she awoke the next morning. She always did.

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Days passed in silence. The only time she saw Itachi was at their evening meal, and after a handful of failed conversations, she gave up trying to speak to him entirely. She didn't really see the point anymore, and she vaguely remembered that he hadn't exactly been a talkative person before _that_ night.

To keep herself occupied, Sakura practiced everything Kakashi-sensei had taught her when she needed to move around, moving furniture to give her more room in her room, and read through the medical texts she had brought with her to keep her mind sharp when she needed a rest.

After nearly a week of this, Sakura grew tired of only seeing the walls inside her room, and decided it was time to explore her new home on her own. She needed to see just how much had changed and how much had stayed the same on her own.

Several hours of poking around led her to relive memories she couldn't block in time due to their abruptness, and she began to wonder if this was a bad idea after all. The aching in her heart and chest soon became a constant thing and she simply just kept moving.

Curiosity broke through her musings when she realized she hadn't seen anyone the entire time she had been walking around. She knew it was normal for servants to hardly be seen, as part of their code of servility, but she was hard-pressed to find even a glimpse of anyone at all. Unnerved, she found her way to the kitchen and peeked inside just to make sure the castle wasn't empty, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the movements of people inside.

Even though she knew they must have seen her, they all avoided her eyes. She wondered if they were as spooked as she was about the echoing loneliness about the place, or if they were just trying that hard to concentrate on their jobs. Sakura thought it best to leave them be when that familiar pang of pain raced through her body, somewhat dulled by the already constant ache of her jagged wound. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed another young servant, a different one from yesterday, one with wild, short brown hair, shift slightly as a white dog whined at the open entrance leading from outside.

Nonchalantly, the young man rose and greeted the animal before following it outside. Discreet eyes followed the wake of his leave and a few flickered briefly toward Sakura, quickly returning to their work like nothing had happened. _Well that was…weird. Did I do something? I don't know what to make of that._ She shook her head in slight bafflement, before ducking out of the doorway, and returning to her exploring.

_Where do I want to go next? There's still so much left to see, but where to start? Hmm…I never really went inside the master bedroom of his parents' before I left last time. Not that it would have been polite to really look in the first place, but since I live here now I have every right to, right?_ Sakura nodded to herself and determinedly ascended the stairs to the fifth floor, stopping in front of a pair of dark, ornately carved doors, the Uchiha family crest in the center.

Hands shaking slightly she grasped the golden door handles and pulled them open slightly, the dust softening the sound the door should have made.

At first, all she saw was darkness.

All the windows had been covered with a heavy dark material, and everything was coated in at least a decades worth of dust. It was obvious no one had been up here to clean it recently. It was such a striking juxtaposition of the warmth and sunlight at her back and the cold, dank, darkness before her that she opened the door further to see better, but the movement stirred the dust, making her sneeze.

Her head still bent from sneezing she opened her eyes to receive a good look at the floor. It appeared to be darker in one area than the rest of the floor.

Pulling the door open wider, her eyes widened in horror, and she recoiled from the sight. Lying just inside the door was a stain, a dark, stain that had permanently dyed the stone and carpets beneath it. Her feet froze her to the spot, and she stood there still as a statue, realizing moments too late that this was the very room in which the late King and Queen had met their early end.

A bird flew past the window outside in the hall, and its shadow soared across her back, leaving a cold trail along in its wake. She shivered violently, regaining her movement. Sakura quickly shut the door and fled down to her room where she remained, sitting as close as she could to the fire and its warmth, until she was called down for her evening meal.

That night, as they repeated the ritual of continued silence, Sakura fidgeted. Seeing the room and its leftover bloodstains had brought back her mother's suggestion of paying her respects.

"Itachi? Sire…?" Sakura began tentatively. He gave no response to show that he had heard her, but he didn't silence her either. "I…wanted to offer my condolences for you and your family about what happened that night-" Sakura broke herself off as Itachi finally met her gaze, freezing her insides more thoroughly than the sight of the room had.

His eyes glared at her with a look of deepest loathing, and stated in a clear, cool, threatening voice, "You are never to mention them again," before abruptly standing and clearing out of the room, his empty plate the only thing left behind to accompany the resounding silence of the room.

Stunned and terrified, Sakura sat as still as a stone in her chair long after he had left. She couldn't seem to remember how to move, her whole body concentrating on just remembering how to breathe.

Eventually, a servant came up behind her, and helped her to rise out of her chair. She walked in a daze.

The servant continued to guide her gently but firmly along from behind, back to her room.

Looking back she couldn't remember even leaving her seat, but with the quiet click of the door behind her, Sakura awoke to find herself facing her room. The inevitability of her situation, and the sudden realization of how her future would be consumed Sakura.

Panic quickly set in.

_I have to get out of here! I have to make a run for it. I don't care how, but I am getting out of here! Tonight!_ _It's too much. I thought I could handle it, but I'll go as insane as the rest of them if I am here much longer!_

Sakura grabbed the bag that she had first brought into her room, emptied out its contents and began throwing in all the things she would need, taking the bare minimum of clothes, hair things, her book, and a few medical supplies. She couldn't seem to pack fast enough to leave this haunted place from her memories, its eerie present, and frightening future.


	4. Secrets & Discoveries

**Author's Notes: **Well, I do have to say that the responses I have received are nothing like I have had before. My reviews are few, but the number of story alerts makes my head feel giddy. Thank you to everyone! . I hope you enjoy the latest chapter! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: I claim rights to my own story plot, but unfortunately not the characters themselves, although I love them all. _

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**Chapter Three: Secrets & Discoveries**

Sakura's emerald eyes glimmered in the faint candlelight before she blew it out softly. She had changed into a simple, navy blue gown and dark gray hooded cloak; she wanted to blend with the darkness as much as possible. She clutched her bag to her chest like it was her last lifeline, and stepped as quietly as a mouse toward her bedroom door.

Holding the latch down as she opened it softly, not a click was made as she eased it shut behind her. Her eyes quickly scanned the hall as she stole down the hallway, avoiding the patches of moonlight filtering in through the windows. She knew she crept about unnecessarily since no one was around to even watch her.

Sakura hesitated in front of the old familiar painting from once upon a time. Its vibrant swirl of colors, darkened by the night, sharply reminded her of the room upstairs. She shivered in the cooler air; it was creepier at night, but she knew that this way was shorter. As she remembered, no one else should even know of its existence since those who had once known were long gone, everyone except Itachi and herself. She snorted at the thought of Itachi even caring about this place.

She eased the painting's secret hinges open just wide enough to allow her slim frame through, shutting it gently behind her. Now came the hard part, walking down the worn stone steps in utter darkness; she didn't dare light a candle in case she was seen. Keeping both hands on the cold, damp walls she fought the memory of the warmth of the hand she had once held instead as she steadily descended the steps.

After what felt like ages, she all but fell face first into the plain wooden door at the bottom of the stairs. The only thing that warned her ahead of time was a faint light creeping in through the crack at the bottom of the door, and hushed voices on its other side. As silent as a whisper she pressed her ear against the door to hear the multiple voices better. She knew eavesdropping was rude, but if she didn't get caught…

"What about _her_?" an optimistic voice suggested.

Another, rougher voice answered, "Do you honestly think that that'll work?"

"It could, although it's hard to tell." Another new voice was added to the discussion.

"This is getting to be too troublesome," a fourth voice joined the first three, one Sakura's ears perked up on. It sounded bored and somewhat familiar, but she couldn't think of where she had heard it before.

"She's rather something though, huh? Different than most of them," the first voice added.

"He wouldn't have agreed to take her as his fiancée otherwise, dobe. And he can keep her as far as any of us are concerned. Let's go with his idea. We may be able to use her to our advantage," another new voice joined the on-going discussion. It was cold and uncaring. Sakura felt a chill on the back of her neck. _I wonder what made him so bitter._

"Oye, teme, lay off. She may not even want to. They don't even talk much when they do see each other from what I've heard," that first voice argued back, slightly defensive.

A sigh. "He has a point," the bored voice commented.

"You do realize what he is planning when she doesn't see him, right?" The same cutting voice asked sharply.

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, broke only by slight shuffles.

"I'm well aware of what he is planning." The first voice Sakura had heard was tight in response.

"Then we'll use any advantage we can get. The longer this goes on, the worse it's going to get."

"Right, so where is the little miss at right now?" The rough voice Sakura had heard early interjected.

"The old sitting room."

Sakura gasped aloud. They were talking about _her_!

Immediately she slammed her hands to her mouth, trying to take back the sound she had made.

She held her breath in vain.

A mad scramble on the other side ensued as the door was flung open, light thrown into her eyes. She squinted at the sudden brightness after the constant darkness as a blonde boy made a grab at her.

Her body reacted on instinct from long years of training, as she dodged under the arm and into the room. Desperately looking for an escape, she saw that she had been cornered, the shadowy outlines surrounding her on all sides.

The same person recovered and reached for her again, this time she went with his momentum by grabbing his arm and tossing him over her shoulder. Just as she was beginning to congratulate herself on a job well done a second pair of hands grabbed her own arms and twisted one behind her back firmly while the other hand covered her mouth. It stifled the slight startled sound she made at getting caught off guard, and the gasp of pain from the stretching of muscle.

Too late did she notice that the hand over her mouth held a square of material across her mouth and nose, and her gasp had already inhaled whatever was on it. Her eyelids began to droop as she struggled against the drug. Hallucinations and memories swam before her eyes as the figures stepped closer to her.

Her captor instantly released her arm as she went limp, and caught her before she hit the ground. Her head rolled backward on her shoulder and she knew she was beginning to dream as a familiar face was seen through her blurry eyes.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat in recognition, but her head sighed at her. _It's not him. It's never him. He's already gone…_

She knew no more.

Waking up the next morning was especially hard. Thanks to her vision of _his_ face, she had dreamt of it more last night than she had since the day she had first left the Uchiha lands. Her long-shoved away memories had resurfaced with a vengeance, and now the pain of remembrance tore through the gaping hole in her chest and aching heart. But there were no tears. There never were. She wondered sometimes if she had cried all of her life's supply away that first year after.

When the pain passed enough to remember whom and where she was, Sakura shakily sat up and looked around. She was dressed for bed, and tucked underneath the covers like any other morning. Light shined brightly across the stone and carpeted floor in front of her, warming up the room bit by bit.

She sighed. "So, it was all a dream?" Sakura made a face; there was a bitter taste on her tongue. She climbed out of bed and rinsed her mouth out with the water from the basin on her nightstand. "What did I eat last night? Ugh."

Sakura froze at the sight of her bag lying on a chair behind her, its reflection clear as day in the mirror. Walking toward it like she was afraid it would run away on her, she approached her little bag with her heart pounding. She pulled apart the strings holding it together slowly, hardly daring to breathe. Inside, nestled amongst her other things was the book that she took with her everywhere, never out of reach. Her heart caught in her throat.

"It wasn't a dream," Sakura heard herself whisper, dumbfounded, to the empty room. Lately she had been in the habit of keeping the book tucked safely between her mattress when she went out, but there it lay snugly between a spare dress and a small wooden box in her bag. "If that really happened. And if that bitter taste was from whatever they used to knock me out. Then…what in the world is going _on_? Who were _they_? What did they want with _me_?"

She wracked her brain for answers, but all she could come up with was the bit of information she had overheard last night. She closed her eyes, trying to remember every detail. "There were…five different voices; all male from the sounds of them. They were discussing someone. No, two people. Itachi and…" Sakura winced, "me. They wanted to use me. It sounded like I was going to be a bargaining chip of theirs. To use against him, because he's planning something…." Sakura's forehead creased as her eyebrows knit together. "Just what _is_ Itachi planning all day? I think I'm long overdue on finding that out myself. The only question now is where do I start…? Top to bottom maybe?"

Sakura shuddered at the thought of even going into the hallway with that room of nightmares. _Just because it's there doesn't mean I shouldn't check out the rest of the floor._ She thought as she donned a simple sky blue gown and black slip-on's as she mentally convinced herself to follow through with her plan. _If anyone asks I can simply say that I was lost, or looking for Itachi._ She laughed once to herself. _Like anyone here is going to care where I go. _

A small protest from her arm muscle brought back the memory of last night's adventure. _At leas, _most_ of the people here don't care. I'll have to watch my back more closely than I thought. _She rubbed her sore arm. _That's what I get for dropping my guard. Kakashi-sensei would be ashamed of me, not to mention Tsunade. How many times has she told me to never get caught when I should have been minding my own business? _Another thought hit her. _Speaking of minding my own business, I'll have to remember to write down yesterday's encounter into my book, and whatever else I find today._

With that last thought in mind, Sakura snuck out of her room, and stole up the stairs to the fifth floor. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the dark door placed halfway down the wall, and she grimaced mentally. Taking in a slow, deep breath she checked to make sure she wasn't being followed before exploring the rest of the floor. The rest of the rooms placed at regular intervals along the hallway revealed nothing of real interest to Sakura, except that these rooms did appear to be cleaned as often as the rest of the castle, almost ludicrously often as she couldn't find so much as a speck of dust.

It was as if time had stopped for the rest of the castle, while its inhabitants moved along unawares. _Stop it Sakura!_ She scolded herself as she roamed about the fifth room. _You're just going to spook yourself out._ That's when her hand slipped on the bedpost she had been resting her hand on, and her heart stopped. The bedpost moved! _Perfect Sakura! Absolutely perfect! Hardly here a week and you've already broken something!_

Her head snapped to the right corner of the room at the sound of a soft click. Her eyes widened and her pulse began to race when she realized that the floor length mirror that hung on the wall had opened inward.

"What on Earth?" Her voice whispered into the empty room. Sakura quickly glanced around before she hesitatingly walked up to the disguised door. With a gentle push, the mirror-like door opened without a sound to reveal an old wooden staircase reaching upwards, light at the top of a square opening. Looking over her shoulder once more, she picked up her skirts and stepped over the doorframe and into the musty smelling stairwell. She eased the door closed behind her, but not before noticing the dust collected on the sides of the stairs. _Used often, but never cleaned. _Her mind stored away the information, as the door shut with the quietest of snaps, and she was startled to discover that it was a two-way mirror. She could see out to the other side! _That's convenient. It'll be easier to sneak back out._

She lightly climbed the stairs, making sure her skirts were clear off the ground, and stopping to hold her breath every time a stair squeaked. Quicker than she thought from the bottom, she reached the top to find herself facing an open doorframe. She poked her head out to find a tall, dark wood cupboard, sitting in shadows on her left, fitting neatly between the sandy, stone wall on its left and the doorpost. On her right was a short, twenty-foot long, four-foot wide hallway, ending in a heavy, plain wooden door, fitted with metal bars in an opening level with Sakura's head.

Curious she walked closer to it, faint sounds of movement becoming more audible with each step. _Maybe it's a ghost?_ Her traitorous mind suggested. Sakura tried to shake the thought away, but now the sounds were making her nervous.

"Hello?" She decided to call out in a quiet, shaky voice. Spooked by the mostly shadowy hallway, the only light being a single window on her left, near the ceiling. Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when an angry but dignified feminine voice answered back.

"I'm never going to give in to you, so stop trying. I'll find a way out of here and stop you somehow!"

Sakura clutched at her rapidly beating heart, an acute sense of foreboding the only thing keeping her from racing back down the stairs. Trying to keep her voice steady, but failing miserably she answered back. "I-I haven't done anything to you. At least, I-I don't think I have."

The voice, startled itself now, answered back from the other side of the door. "W-who's th-there?"

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I kind of live here at the moment," Sakura answered back feeling surreal. Was she really talking to a ghost?

The voice scathingly asked, "Is _he_ here with you? Or did he just become too bored and sent someone else in his place?"

Curious more than scared now, Sakura's interest picked up as her heart stopped trying to leap out of her chest. "He?"

"Yes. Him. Itachi. The self-proclaimed ruler of this land," the soft voice repeated itself.

Almost eagerly Sakura approached the door and stood on her tiptoes to peak inside the bars. What met her eyes was not a ghost, but a young girl approximately her own age, with long, dark purple hair, and eyes so light in color they seemed to blend with the whites of her eyes. The girl inside studied Sakura's face with the same level of concentration Sakura gave her.

"So you're not a figment of my imagination," the girl stated after a moment.

"No why would I be?" Sakura's brow crinkled in confusion as she looked at the bare cell. It couldn't have been any larger than nine feet in diameter. A solitary bench imbedded in the far wall being the only furniture, and a single slit for a window just beneath the ceiling completed the room. The girl was wearing a worn, wrinkled deep purple gown that was kept fairly clean despite her surroundings. "And why are you in there? Who are you?"

The dark haired girl studied Sakura back just as critically. After a moment she spoke again, seemingly having come to a decision. "I'm Hinata Hyuuga, captive and ransom for Itachi Uchiha."

Sakura's jaw dropped open in surprise.

"What? He didn't tell you?" The girl, Hinata, asked back suspicion clear on her face.

Sakura clamped her mouth shut. "Tell me what?"

Hinata pursed her lips together and eyed Sakura's face again. "You seem trustworthy enough, but" she sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly. "I've fallen for that enough times." Her voiced had muttered the last bit to herself, Sakura had to strain to hear her. Suddenly a look crossed over the young woman's face. "So go back and tell Itachi that he can starve me, and lock me up all he wants, but I will get out of here! He's can't dangle my life over my fiancé for much longer!"

Startled by Hinata's abrupt change in tone, Sakura grasped at the first thing that stood out in her mind. "Fiancé?"

"Yes, the Uzumaki clan's only son, Naruto, will either find me, or I will get to him." A fiery look filled her eyes, as she glared at Sakura.

"How-"

"One way or another. Now leave!"

She may have had a soft voice, but the force of her words knocked Sakura back. Without stopping to think about it she turned around and started to run, but not before the sounds of muffled sobs intruded upon the empty silence.

Sakura's thoughts crashed wildly through her head. She raced back down the stairs and all but burst through the two-way mirror, barely taking the time to check to see if she was alone. She didn't stop running until she was descending the stairs that would lead to her own floor, when she stopped mid-step, one thought hitting her in particular. _Starve?_

She glanced back up at the ceiling, the corners of her mouth turned down slightly. All her thoughts about yesterday's escape attempt gone. _Hinata Hyuuga? Where have I heard that name before?_ Taking the stairs two at a time, in a very un-ladylike manner her mother would have scolded her for, Sakura raced to her room.

She shut the door behind her, scanning her room to assure herself that she was alone before hurrying to her mattress, lifting it up slightly and dragging her book out. She flipped through its pages, scanning its contents until her eyes fell on the familiar sounding name.

_(Nine Months Ago…)_

_Report: Official report by Kakashi-sensei to my parents…_

_A group of fighters have allied themselves together to fight off the growing threat from the whispered rumors of the Akatsuki. These kingdoms include: the Hyuuga's, Inuzuka's, Aburame's, and Uzumaki's. During the resulting clash between this group of fighters and Itachi's forces, Hinata Hyuuga, oldest daughter in the Hyuuga ruling line, was discovered missing. Her older cousin Neji Hyuuga, her fiancé Naruto Uzumaki, and a group of warriors split off to find her._

_(Three Weeks Later…)_

_Report: Overheard snatches of conversation between patients in Tsunade's medical ward…_

_No word heard from missing Hyuuga/Uzumaki group. Not a trace of them has been found since their disappearance two weeks ago. _

_(One Week Later…)_

_Report: Official report given by Kakashi-sensei to us all…_

_The Inuzuka's, Aburame's, and the other warriors who were left behind to fight have fallen. _

_Previous reports on the Akatsuki group are true. They have finally started to come out into the open and make their presence known. Most are being placed in strategic areas of already conquered land to keep uprisings from occurring. _

_The Akatsuki have begun to set their sights on other countries as well. Rumors say that the Country of Wind could be their next target. _

_(Two Weeks Later…)_

_Report: Overheard conversation between Kakashi-sensei and Father…_

_The missing Hyuuga/Uzumaki group has been found. Bodies are scattered far and wide. Not even a fraction of the total group has been accounted for yet. All bodies found are dead. Neji Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki are among those still missing._

_(Three Days Later…)_

_Report: Private Conversation held in confidence between Tsunade, Shizune, and Myself…_

_Naruto Uzumaki has been found. Alive. Barely. _

_Tsunade has left to aid in his recovery in secret. I am to carry on with Shizune like nothing is amiss. _

_Neji Hyuuga is still missing._

_(Two Weeks Later…)_

_Report: Whispered conversation between Tsunade, Shizune, and I upon Tsunade's return…_

_Naruto has recovered to very near his own health. He and his clan owe a great debt of gratitude to Tsunade and her skills for his speedy recovery. No one else knows of Tsunade's aid. Rumors fly about that he can heal himself unnaturally fast, almost demon-like. Absurd._

_The Uzumaki kingdom is still holding their own against their opposing forces._

_(Three Weeks Later…)_

_Report: Servant gossip overheard while gathering medicinal herbs for Tsunade…_

_The Uzumaki heir is reported/rumored to be absent for different lengths in time. Wild rumors give no concrete evidence of where he goes, but all are in agreement that he is still searching for his missing fiancée Hinata Hyuuga, and her still missing cousin, Neji._

_Strong forces have arrived at the Uzumaki lands to re-enforce this last stronghold, although the Yondaime King, seems to be doing fairly well on his own. These forces are rumored to include: Rock Lee, Tenten (Neji Hyuuga's wife), Yamamoto, Sai, Might Guy, and Asuma Sarutobi (his wife Kurenai is at home, as she is with child). _

_(Two Months Later…)_

_Report: Official Report from Kakashi-sensei to us all…_

_A sneak attack was made on the Country of Wind from Itachi's allied forces, the Akatsuki. The entire country has allied itself with the remaining fighters of the Uzumaki clan. The three heirs to the Wind Country's central kingdom, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, have been sent to back them up. _

_Note: Allies are now forming regardless of whether a marriage contract exists or not; there isn't time or heirs enough to write up one now. This way of thinking may come as too little too late however, as Itachi has nearly conquered most of the Country of Fire. All we can do now is pray and hope…_

Something suddenly struck Sakura. She paced up and down in front of her window thinking aloud. "Itachi has managed to keep control of every kingdom every time he has conquered it. We all assumed that it was because their heirs had all been killed. There was no one else to rule afterwards, but there hasn't been so much as an uprising in the kingdoms he's overtaken either. Why is that? Surely someone would have tried something by now…"

A sudden knocking on her door startled Sakura out of her musings. She quickly hid the book behind her back and stood up straight as the door opened to reveal a blonde haired, pale blue-eyed girl sizing her up.

"I didn't give you permission to come in," Sakura said brusquely, hoping to disguise her flushed expression at being caught unawares for the second time that day.

The girl, who looked to be around her age scowled, "What? I'm supposed to stand out there all day long?"

Taken aback by the young woman's snap reply, Sakura reacted on instinct. "You can't talk to me that way!"

"I can and will! Because I'm-" the fair haired girl retorted, but cut herself off, her face turning pale.

"Your what?" Sakura prompted, curious now at the girl's strange reaction.

The girl looked angry with herself, but she took it out on Sakura. "I'm going to be late. Better hurry before your food gets cold_, my_ _Lady_." She sneered the last two words before turning and marching out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Infuriated, Sakura stuffed her book hurriedly under her mattress before heading out herself, shutting the door more softly than the girl had. She fumed down the stairs, knowing that she had started the argument by being so brash, but to mad to care.

The sight of Itachi at the table stopped her fury cold. She arranged her features passively before sitting down across from him.

His cold, hard voice broke through the usual quiet. "You're late."

Sakura dipped her head forward, hoping she looked sincerely regretful. "I'm sorry Sire. And please forgive my rudeness from yesterday. I did not mean to upset you."

She peeked up through her lashes to see Itachi studying her critically. She suppressed a shudder. After a moment he spoke again. "Never bring it up again." He stood up and turned to leave. He paused. "Your family would be _concerned_ if something were to happen to you."

Sakura felt her insides freeze. "Yes sire," she answered softly. He departed.

Sakura lifted her head to stare at her food, no longer hungry. Instead she felt sick.

Her thoughts drifted toward the Hinata's girl's words. _Starved._

Glancing around first, Sakura pulled out a handkerchief from her dress pocket before wrapping what she could of her meal inside it. _Waste not, want not._ She rose calmly from her seat and forced herself to walk normally from the room. Acting like nothing was out of the ordinary she proceeded toward her room, before throwing her dark traveler's cloak around her shoulders and stealing out her room and back into the darkened hallway.

She drew the cloak around her tightly, its hood covering her pink tresses, as she checked over her shoulder every few moments to make sure she wasn't being followed. As quiet as a whisper she made her way to the hidden tower and the girl inside.


	5. Ghosts & The Unknown

**Author's Notes: **Well, I have to say that this story is moving right along. I'm happy with the progress this story has made so far. Here's hoping it keeps moving steadily along. Enjoy Chapter Four! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: I claim ownership of the plot and where this takes place, but I am merely borrowing the characters. I do not own them._

* * *

**Chapter Four: Ghosts & The Unknown**

"Hinata?" Sakura asked the moonlit door, the only thing lit in the pitch-black hallway.

"What do you want now?" The quiet, soft voice of the Hinata girl asked back, lethargic from sleep.

"Here, quickly." Sakura slipped her handkerchief full of food in through the bars. She waited until she felt the weight lift from her hands before letting go.

"…Why?"

"Because I wanted to."

Hinata's face appeared at the bars, suspicious. Her stomach grumbled in the silence. A blush crept across her face.

Sakura pretended that she hadn't heard. "I can wait until you have finished. If you would like."

"Do as you wish." Hinata turned and sat with her back against the door, picking apart the knots in the material.

Sakura smiled to herself and slid down the door on the other side. Moonlight splashed across her body and she played with it and its shadows with her hands, as she listened to the rustling sounds behind her.

"I'm sorry," Sakura whispered after a moment. "About…everything, I mean," she clarified. The movements behind her slowed, but didn't stop, showing without words that Hinata was listening to her. "I have heard about you before, and your fiancé, the Uzumaki heir, and your cousin Neji Hyuuga. There wasn't much to hear in the official reports other than the three of you going missing nearly nine months ago. Although the wild rumors that are flying around certainly give everyone enough to think and guess about…

"Naruto Uzumaki was the first and only one found by everyone else so far…Now it looks like I know what happened to you too…Neji Hyuuga, well, he is still missing. There are rumors of course, but…nothing concrete yet.

"I can relate to you in very odd ways. Being locked away against your will with no one to talk to in a castle of stone with little fresh air to breathe in. You are confined in more ways than you had ever dreamt possible. You have to watch what you say, where you go, what you do at every moment of every day. If you slip up just once, others will pay for your mistakes…"

The rustling of sound behind Sakura had stopped. Both girls sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating.

"Hey Hinata?" Sakura ventured. "Do you love your fiancé? Do you love Naruto Uzumaki?"

"…Yes," Hinata's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Do you miss him?"

"…Always."

Sakura smiled quietly to herself. "I'm glad. Too many of our marriages have been nothing more than a contract. The love that is supposed to be present is no deeper than the sheet of paper the signatures were signed on. I'm happy for you." Sakura clutched at the area above her heart, trying to hold herself together.

"…Thank you…Sakura."

The threat of pain and memories abated a little as Sakura concentrated on Hinata's voice.

"…Your welcome."

Eventually Sakura stood up, shaking out her skirts as she did so. She heard Hinata rise on the other side of the door. "I better let you rest for the night."

Hinata slid her hand through the bars just enough to allow the handkerchief to dangle from her fingertips on the other side. Sakura took it back, satisfied.

"Will-will you…come back tomorrow?" Hinata asked half grudgingly, half hopeful.

Sakura smiled warmly back at the young woman who wouldn't meet her eyes. "Same time tomorrow?"

Hinata kept her gaze concentrated on the floor as if it was much more interesting. She nodded once before turning and disappearing into the darkness of her confinement. Sakura watched the door for a moment longer before turning and fading into her own corner of whispering shadows.

----------

Lying in her bed that night, Sakura rolled over for what felt like the millionth time. Her mind kept repeating the encounter with Hinata over and over again, as the words from her book floated around before her eyes. And she knew that once she truly closed her eyes, the memories and dreams would rush at her again with her guard down; morning would be another test in her own personal survival.

With a sigh she finally sat up in bed, giving up on sleep for the moment. "I might as well do something useful," she said to herself as she removed her sleeping gown and re-dressed. Again she threw the cloak around her shoulders and pulled the hood up high. Acting on an idea and impulse she emptied out the contents of her straw sewing basket, which lay still and quiet on the floor next to the table. She gathered it to her chest and double-checked that the dark cloak hid her well before stealing back out of her room.

Peering over her shoulder almost every step of the way, Sakura only stopped when she was in front of the painting that led to the kitchen again. Opening it just wide enough to allow herself to slip through, she shut it behind her snugly. Now came the tricky part. Setting the basket aside, Sakura felt around in the pitch-black darkness, seeking the long-forgotten candles and matches that were stored in the corner of the top-most step.

With a wave of relief, Sakura's hand bumped into the waxy surface of a partially spent candle, and a small pile of wooden matches. She swiped a match on the stone wall, igniting it instantly before lighting her candle, fighting back the memory of the first time she had seen this done, and feeling the familiar licks of pain it sent around the edges of the hole.

Her heart pounded in time to her every step down the stairs, afraid that someone would see its warm, orange glow, but though she strained to hear every sound around her, she could make out nothing more than her own shoes against the stone. Hesitantly, she came around one last bend in the staircase and approached the door. Sakura lay an ear against its old, worn surface and stood as still as a statue, listening for any movement on the other side. She didn't hear a sound.

Tentatively she pushed the door open and peeked out. The coast looked clear. Slowly she let the rest of her body through, clutching the basket in her hand. Sakura ventured further out into the kitchen and let its light sweep around her in a gentle circle before, satisfied that she was alone, sought out some food to fill her basket with. She half-stumbled upon a basket much larger than her own, laden with fruits and vegetables, several loaves of leftover bread lay peacefully beside it. Smiling to herself, Sakura stuck the candle down on the table to free both hands, and began to fill her own little basket. Once satisfied, she turned to leave.

And nearly ran into a man much larger than her.

"What are you doing in my kitchen?" The big man with shaggy, light brown hair asked, half-curious, half-threatening. The lone candlelight threw his face into a rather menacing look with its compliments of shadows.

Sakura, her heart having leapt up into her throat, could only shake her head in response. She clutched the basket close to her, backing away slowly. _How did I not notice his presence?_ Her back hit something solid. Sakura whirled around, her hood falling off her head to settle onto her shoulders in the process, to see the same young servant with a high spiked ponytail that she had seen on her first day here.

The young man grabbed one of her arms and held on tightly. "So, not only is she a spy, but a thief, huh? Aren't you the troublesome one?"

The pressure on her arm allowed Sakura to find her tongue. "Let go!" She snapped her wrist free and used her now free elbow to jab him in the stomach. With a grunt he bent over, clutching his abdomen, the big man hurrying forward to check on him. She dodged past the bent over man, still clinging to her basket, and made a run for the door that led outside. She grasped the handle and threw it open to run into another solid body. Her breath caught in her mouth as she recognized the newcomer. "You-!"

"Not so fast princess," the blonde, blue-eyed youth grabbed both her shoulders, stopping her from making another break for it.

"Be careful dobe, she hits pretty hard," a harsh, bitter voice warned from behind the blonde-haired boy.

Sakura froze at the voice. _That voice! He's the one who was going to use me against Itachi!_ In that instant another pair of hands threw a blindfold over her eyes, throwing the dim lighting into complete darkness.

"Jeez," a fifth male voice was added to the scene. "I have to do everything myself don't I?"

Something wet and cold touched the back of her leg, and Sakura let out a little yelp of surprise, trying to kick it away from her. She started to struggle.

"Someone shut her up!" the voice trying to tie Sakura's blindfold urged.

"My hands are a little busy right now!" the voice of the young man holding her shoulders argued back.

"Watch out for her feet!" the voice of the big man warned.

"Enough," a steely voice whispered in her ear and a cold hand clamped itself over Sakura's mouth. Something sharp kissed her neck. "Stop moving. I don't want to hurt you, Sakura."

_That voice again._ Sakura stood frozen in shock, trying to recall exactly how she had gone from gathering food for Hinata to being threatened with her life.

Slowly, the object was lowered from her neck when she hadn't moved for several moments, and Sakura released a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

The voice continued, "I'll remove my hand from your mouth, as will the one holding your arms if you promise not to move unless we direct you to, and not one sound. Are we clear?" His voice was filled with an icy seriousness.

Sakura nodded slowly, her heart rate still pumping too fast.

"Good."

The hands holding her in place removed themselves as the one's behind her finished their knot on her blindfold, and the cool hand whisked itself away from her face only to replace itself on her upper arm. It guided her gently across the room and settled her into a chair firmly, before removing its presence entirely.

After a moment, the blindfold too was removed, and Sakura blinked in the now dim room. Her candle burned steadily behind her, but it was obstructed by something, leaving most of the room in obscure shadows. She itched to turn her head and find out what was blocking it, but she didn't dare twitch a muscle.

A voice called out from the darkness behind her, "What were you doing in my kitchen?"

Startled, Sakura hesitated in her answering. "I was…hungry."

Someone snorted. "Well obviously, with so much food in that basket of yours."

"But is it really all for you? Didn't you just eat a few hours ago?"

Sakura fibbed. "I wasn't hungry then so I-"

"Not hungry? There was certainly enough gone on your plate," the voice that had first started to interrogate her stated.

Sakura decided to change the subject to avoid the accusation. She wasn't about to tell these five strangers about Hinata. She didn't know if they were friend or foe, but wasn't going to risk the chance to find out. "Why are you all hiding in the dark?"

"A precaution," the cold voice from before answered. There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again. "Let her go. She has done nothing wrong…yet."

Sakura heard a sigh. "Alright, but it'll be your head, teme."

"Hn," the voice commented without words. "Sakura."

"Yes?"

"Go, but be forewarned. We're watching you. You are not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Especially _him_." The words had become harsher with every one he spoke, and the last one was said in such a way that Sakura had no doubt in her mind as to exactly who this stranger was talking about.

Sakura nodded, fighting the relief trembling through her legs. "O-okay." She grasped the basket tightly to her chest, vaguely wondering how she had managed to keep her hold on it the entire time without spilling anything. She moved quickly forward until she found herself in the small niche that held the door in its left side. She chanced a glance back as she reached for the door handle; five outlined figures watched her leave intently.

Her heart skipped a beat at one silhouette in particular. "Sasuke?" The word was out of her mouth before she even realized she had spoken it.

The outline of the young man stiffened, as Sakura stared at him; hair the color of ebony, skin as pale as ice.

"What?" He hissed, his dark fathomlessly deep eyes reflected the candle's crimson red glow.

The tension in the room rose as the other four sets of eyes watched her guardedly.

"He died," the youth began between clenched teeth. "He's been dead for-"

"Twelve years. I know," Sakura whispered softly. Her heart clenched painfully, and her arm automatically rose to cover it; Sakura barely registered the involuntary movement anymore, it was a vain attempt at trying to hold her together. The move didn't escape the other's notice, however. "I'm sorry. It's nothing. Forget what I said. You just reminded me of someone I once knew." Sakura felt the threatening tongues of pain lick at the center of her chest, and her body again reacted on instinct, and she started to retreat into the center of her mind to block out the ache of loss. "It's just a ghost of the past coming back to haunt me…"

Her eyes stared dejectedly at the basket in her arms for a moment as she tried to focus enough to make it to her room before she fully retreated. Slowly, as if she were moving through water, Sakura raised her now hollow gaze to meet the five pairs of eyes once more. "I swear to never say a word to him. And…thank you." She curtsied as mechanically as a doll before disappearing through the door and moving without conscious thought toward her room.

As the door in front of them shut, the blonde haired youth spoke to the stillness. "She's pretty smart."

"She always was," the dark haired young man beside him answered in response. His friend grinned widely, as the pale-skinned boy glared back. "Not a word, dobe."

"Hai, hai…teme."

Sakura had barely enough time to sit on her bed before the darkness consumed her, the throbbing twinge of sorrow racing through her veins taking control of her body. Long buried emotions and feelings rapidly rose to the surface, and new echoes of pain pulsated in her heart.

When Sakura next awoke, she found herself curled into a tight ball under the covers of her bed. She was still wearing her dress, though it was now horribly wrinkled and distorted around her, but her shoes were off and had been placed neatly alongside her bed. She knew she hadn't done any of that, and could only guess that some servant or maid had seen her and taken pity on her enough to make her more comfortable.

The image of the young man from the night before overlapped unbidden with the memory she held from her childhood, and Sakura clutched her knees to her chest more tightly. _Stop it, stop it, stop it! He's dead! He's not coming back. None of them are!_

"There's only…Itachi." Sakura grimaced at the smooth, stone wall in her line of vision.

Awkwardly, almost infantile, Sakura unclenched every muscle in her body one by one until she could feel the rush of blood tingle in her limbs, as feeling and movement ventured back. Unsteadily she rose on her arms into a sitting position, and simply sat there, trying to gather the energy and will power to move further.

Her dull green eyes shifted to the light streaming in through her windows. From the fading glow that filtered in, she guessed that is was around twilight, but she wasn't sure how many days had passed. Her stomach held a faint gnawing sensation that let her know she was hungry, but her body was too spent to care. Her eyes caught on an object on the center of the table, and she forced herself to focus on it. She realized with the slightest of jolts she recognized the basket of food she had gathered for Hinata.

Sakura thought of the captive girl upstairs. "Well, I didn't go through all _that_ for nothing." Slowly but deliberately Sakura dragged herself out from underneath the covers. Momentarily she thought of changing into a fresh dress, but deemed the extra effort as too much for now. Instead, she tied her cape around her neck again from its draped position on the back of one of the chairs, knowing for a fact that she hadn't left it there before. She drew the hood up and over her head as daylight faded into night, not wanting to use more energy brushing her hair, she would need all she could get just to reach the topmost tower.

With the floating-in-the-air like movement of a spirit drifting silently through its home, Sakura managed to walk the stairs up toward the fifth floor and down the hallway to the room with its secret mirror. She hadn't checked to make sure she was alone until she stood in front of the mirror, having already triggered its clasp, until she heard voices floating down to her from above.

Curiosity broke through the feeling of emptiness, and Sakura stayed put and strained her ears to listen. There were two voices. And they were arguing.

"You will not get away with this forever!" The soft, feminine voice Sakura recognized as Hinata's filled the passageway. "My cousin-"

"Is in the complete darkness of the dungeons below, with the rest of them." Sakura felt her mind sharpen out of its stupor at the chilled voice of the only known surviving Uchiha heir. _Itachi, _her mind hissed at her in warning. "If he hasn't lost his sanity yet, he soon will."

"You foul-" Sakura heard the captive young woman's sharp inhale.

"I'm only keeping you up here on a whim. Push me too far and you will soon join them." Itachi's voice had hardened in the slightest degree. "You are only so useful until I get what I want," he threatened. "Remember that."

Sakura was so focused on the conversation that it took a minute for her to register the sound of footsteps retreating back down the hall, toward the hidden stairwell. She made a mad dash behind the drapes hanging next to the window in the darkest corner of the room. She never heard the mirror open, but the swish of clothing and the slight squeak of the door alerted her to his absence. She waited several heartbeats before daring to peek out of the curtains. She scanned the room with intent eyes; apprehension having caused an adrenaline rush that had 'woken' her up more thoroughly than anything else had done before.

She waited several more minutes before she dared to activate the switch again, and slipped through the door. She shut it firmly before dashing up the stairs, and entering the moonlit hall.

"Hinata?" She whispered to alert the girl of her presence.

"Sakura?" The pale eyes of the young woman peered out through the bars set in the door, her voice filled with traces of relief. "Where have you been? It's been-"

"Here. Quick." Sakura passed the food by hand through the metal bars; the sewing basket was too wide to squeeze through. "Before he comes back."

"Thank you," Hinata whispered as her stomach gaze its own sound of gratitude.

Sakura sent her a faint smile. "Don't give up yet." Hinata returned the smile as Sakura turned and stole back down the stairs, and made her way to her own room once more.

Once safely inside, Sakura refilled the basket with her sewing supplies which still lay on the ground underneath the table by moonlight. That completed she set the basket against the chair leg, and stumbled to the chest that contained her clothes and pulled out her nightgown. She let the cool, smooth fabric fall down around her body, before shaking out her wrinkled dress and laying it atop the chest.

Knowing the adrenaline rush was wearing off; Sakura began to feel the pull of sleep on her body. Her comatose state wasn't exactly what she would call rest, and as she still had no idea how long she had been out. She heeded her body's call and slid under the now cool covers of her bed once more. She immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	6. Candles & Their Shadows

**Author's Notes:** And onto Chapter Five! Thank you for the reviews, and I hope you are enjoying the story! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: I am simply borrowing the Naruto characters. I have never claimed to own them._

* * *

**Chapter Five: Candles & Their Shadows**

Sakura was startled from her deep sleep to the crashing sound of a door flinging open and bright, cheery sunshine filtering I through her windows. The noise caused her to shoot up in bed, one hand clutching her pounding heart, the other holding her pillow high for a weapon, as it was the closest thing to her.

"Hey you! Forehead girl! Wake-up!" An irate blue-eyed, blonde-haired young woman Sakura slowly recognized as the maid who visited her room stood just inside the open doorway.

"Excuse me?" Sakura felt the slight tremors of irritation rolling through her body at the insults and brusque tone of voice.

"Were you the one who hit my Shikamaru?"

"Who?" Sakura asked, confused. Had she ever met anyone by that name? No. But it did sound somewhat familiar…

"My soon-to-be betrothed!"

"Uh…?" she replied back intelligently.

"Do it again and you will regret it for the rest of your life!" In a whirlwind of hair, and skirts the girl slammed the door shut.

Sakura blinked at it once. Twice. Three times. Before jumping again as it slammed open once more.

"Your breakfast is ready," the girl spoke again in a self-satisfied yet mocking tone. She slammed the door again.

Sakura's hand was still paused in midair; the pillow still clutched between her fingers for several more moments before she reluctantly brought it back down. She set the pillow in her lap and lay back against the headboard in exasperation. "What did I do to upset her? I don't even know her!" Her brow creased in concentration. "Her fiancé, huh? Why would I hit someone I don't even know?" Her eyes slipped shut, reveling in the red shade beneath her eyelids from the light in her room, before she snapped them open again with a jolt.

"I have hit someone like that before! That servant who grabbed my arm the other night! Is he her future fiancé?" She snorted unladylike. "If so, they deserve each other."

Hair as dark as the night sky, and eyes as crimson as a blood red rose glared back at her with suspicion and disdain from her memories. "What did I ever do to _him_ though? What did I ever do to _any_ of them? It wasn't by choice that I came here. I didn't want things to be this way. I wanted-" Sakura cut herself off at the warning signs from her heart. _Don't think about that._ She scolded herself.

Sakura sat there for a moment longer, fighting against her memories, winning only when something else fell into place in her mind. "…Shikamaru?" _Why does that name sound so familiar? I could have sworn I've heard it before, or read it somewhere. But where?_ Her mind immediately lit upon her book, tucked safely underneath her in between the mattresses.

She tossed the covers aside, and jumped out of bed, lifting up the top mattress with one arm and sliding her book out with the other. Quickly she rifled through her book, scanning pages.

…The Akatsuki: a group of ruthless warriors, whispered about only in the darkest of corners, who work under cover. Stories say that they aid Itachi in his frequent conquests. Originally a group of ten, one member is now rumored to be dead…

"No, that's not it. She flipped toward the more recent entries.

_(One-Month Ago…)_

Report: Conversation between Tsunade and Myself… 

Orochimaru is the name of the identified body originating from the Akatsuki group. Apparently he is an old acquaintance of Tsunade's. She loathed him entirely. Most did.

No one will miss him, but many are curious as to who defeated him. There were no witnesses to the fight, and too many now claim that honor to sort out this mess.

"Nope, too far." She shuffled forward in her book, until her eyes caught sight of the name she was looking for. Her eyes widened the more she read.

(Two years ago…)

Report: Overheard conversation this morning between Father and Mother when I was on my way to practice with Kakashi-sensei…

The Nara kingdom has finally fallen. Their sixteen-year-old son and only heir, Shikamaru Nara, is presumed dead, no traces of his body were found in the aftermath of the skirmish. Itachi has successfully usurped the kingdom into his grasp, and has added it to his ever-expanding control of surrounding lands…

Sakura read and re-read the passage over and over again. "There's no way…it couldn't be the same person! They could simply just share the same first name, right?" Her eyes alighted on a passage further down the page.

…No one mourns the Nara's loss more than perhaps the girl he was courting, Ino Yamanaka, who has sworn to find him alive. Chances are not in her favor…

She skipped ahead and read further.

Report: Overheard through conversation Tsunade had with her assistant Shizune…

_Ino Yamanaka and her entire squad have been found dead. Their bodies were massacred beyond recognition, piled in a heap unceremoniously, and left to carrion animals. No word yet on who performed this atrocious deed… _

Stunned, Sakura slid sideways off her knees to sit on the ground, her back against the bed frame. "Is it possible? Could they really be alive…? But…how? Why?" _For the same reason Hinata is here. For the same reason you are here. _Her mind answered for her. _Itachi's dangling the lives of your families and loved one's in front of your faces._

"But why not kill them instead?" She asked herself aloud. "Wouldn't that be simpler?"

Maybe he finds more amusement this way. He could be enjoying the fear and pain he causes in others more than the satisfaction in their death.

"Then how is it that no one noticed this before?" The names of other heirs who had been 'killed' or were 'missing' ran through her brain in rapid succession. She put a hand to her head in an attempt to keep her overwhelmed mind steady. "Didn't anyone ever think it was odd?"

_Simple._ Her mind answered for her once again. _The various kingdoms had never been allies before. Why would they care if their rivals lost a child or two? And kingdoms are constantly losing sons in the middle of battle. That had never been seen as odd in the past; sons always led their father's armies into battle. If they fell it was unfortunate, but normal. Itachi's dealing in the shadows, disposing of any incriminating evidence that could link to the heirs having survived._

"Of course," she breathed. "Whenever there has been a battle near or with the heirs, the surrounding bodies have been massacred beyond recognition. It was frowned upon because it goes against the code of chivalry in battle, but no one spent much more thought on it than that. They were too distracted by the look of the 'supposed' death to care; they were in mourning already too inspect anything too closely.

"Hinata is the first one to just suddenly disappear from her own home without a trace. That's why there's been such an uproar. Everyone knows that there is a possibility that she is still alive, and so they are just about willing to do anything to have her returned that way. That's why her fiancé is so dead set on finding her, and why Hinata is so determined that he will either succeed, or she will escape.

"Itachi is dangling her life before them all! Over the entire resistance. Or…what's left of it. And now…" Sakura struggled to remember the conversation she had overheard the night before. She gasped loudly. "Neji Hyuuga is alive! He's here! In the castle! In the dungeons…" Sakura's voice slowed as she remembered Itachi's words.

"If he hasn't lost his sanity yet, he soon will." A shiver ran up Sakura's spine.

"If both Hinata and Neji Hyuuga are here…if that girl is really Ino Yamanaka, and she was referring to the Shikamaru Nara from my book then…" She counted the shadowy outlines in her mind. "Who were the other three? Are they 'missing' heirs too?"

"Is it possible that he…? Could there be one more…? But- then- why?" Sakura half-dared to hope, but never let her thoughts form fully. She knew the repercussions of thinking such dangerous and forbidden thoughts. Dreams could be dangerous, she knew, more still if they turned out to be nothing more than spun stories from her own imagination. And yet, she couldn't stop herself from feeling the first, briefest flicker of hope for the first time in twelve years.

A large rumbling sound erupted from her stomach, interrupting Sakura's musings. She blushed in embarrassment. "First things first I suppose." She stood on legs shaky from hunger, as she quickly threw on a deep emerald gown, one of her favorites. It really made her eyes stand out, and gave her a sense of comfort, as it had been a gift from her mother. She quickly scrubbed her face clean, and ran a brush through her long, silken pink hair before heeding her stomach's call and heading down to a late breakfast.

----------

Sakura whittled the day away by practicing and running everything she had learned from both Tsunade and Kakashi-sensei through her head. When she needed a rest, she eagerly re-read her book, making mental notes of every heir and their fate, mentioned in its ink-written pages. Every time she caught a glimpse of the hard-to-find servants, she looked harder; searching for any distinguishing features, wondering whom they had been before they came here.

She knew what she was going to do. Roughly. She was going to find those five again, and interrogate them this time around. She wanted to be sure. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions just yet.

Her eyes alighted on another passage from her book. She read the childlike writing apprehensively.

(11 years ago…)

Report: Mommy and Daddy were discussing what had happened one year ago today…

People say that the Akatsuki were behind the attack on his kingdom, but they have not claimed for or against this. Many fear that they did.

Perhaps more feared are the rumors that claim that the sole survivor of the massacre killed his entire kinsmen on his own. Those who believe that question why? Some say it was a test to join the Akatsuki.

More frightening still are the others who say it was simply a test he gave to himself to see if he could…

Sakura made a face at the page. She remembered how vividly each word had stabbed at her as she wrote those first few passages; his face had jumped in front of her eyes each time with a fresh memory.

Years of practice and hard work had taught her how to suppress all those feelings and emotions when she wrote of anything that revolved around him. Although, every now and then she had felt a particularly sound burst of pain, sorrow, and loss out of nowhere that echoed throughout her body without warning. She couldn't avoid those. She simply had to wait for it to pass, though it left her aching for days after.

She looked up from the book to notice it was getting harder to read. Day was falling into night. She had mere hours left.

A timid knock sounded at her door. Sakura's heart sped up slightly. "Come in," she called out clearly, and pretended to read again. She heard the door open, and the rustle of clothing.

"Your supper is ready, my Lady," an apprehensive voice sounded from the open doorframe, astonishingly polite.

Sakura peered up through her eyelashes to see the young, pale-blue eyed woman standing just inside the door, wringing her hands together. Sakura quickly glanced back down to her book. "You do not have to call me that, if you do not want to," Sakura stated as off-handedly as she could. "My name is Sakura. Sakura Haruno." She peeked up at the girl again to judge her reaction.

The girl appeared to be startled and confused. "Thank you…Sakura," she managed after processing the statement.

"And what should I call you? What is your name?" Sakura asked nonchalantly. The girl seemed on her guard now, glaring at Sakura suspiciously. Sakura pretended to sigh. "Well, I do not think you would appreciate me going around asking for 'the pig,' now would you? Since I do not know your name, I can only refer to your manners as an identifying feature." That did the trick.

The girl's temper flared. "I do too have a name, you billboard brow! It's Ino! Ino Yamanaka! And don't you forget it!" She turned around abruptly, slamming the door behind her.

Sakura sat in her chair, speechless. "Well," she said after awhile. "That was rather easy." She sighed. "And it looks like I'm on the right track." The silhouettes flashed into her mind again, their eyes glaring accusingly. "But somehow I doubt it will be nearly that easy with the rest of them."

As she stood to head down for her evening meal, Sakura felt the familiar echo of anger, pain, and sorrow course through her body. This time it made her stop; the feelings had intensified since the last time she had felt it. It was an ache of loss strong enough to pull a teardrop from her heart and slide down her otherwise dry cheek. Shaking, she touched her hand to her cheek to feel the wetness there. She pulled her fingertip away in amazement, the last rays of the sun glittering off the teardrop and scattering light like fiery crystals. The feeling gradually slipped away and Sakura shook her head to rid herself of its remnants.

What prompted that? I haven't cried a single tear in twelve years. Why now?

Still musing on her own personal wonderment it took Sakura several moments to realize that she had arrived in the dining hall alone. She looked around quickly. Am I late…? No…the silverware is still laid out fresh and clean. She touched her glass goblet, filled with the evening's drink. It's still cold. This was poured recently. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Is Itachi late? He's never late.

No sooner had she thought the words, than the very person she had been thinking about strode in through the doors. Although, strode wouldn't be the exact word as he had a grace to his step that any girl would envy.

Itachi sat without comment or excuse. The look on his face, Sakura was curious to note, was one of disappointment and irritation. Since when does he let his face slip like that?

"Sire?" Sakura prompted her usually stone-faced supper companion.

Itachi seemed to come out of his own thoughts, and his expressionless façade slid into place. He glared at her in loathing.

Sakura felt her leg muscles twitch, her instincts telling her to run, and run far. But she firmly kept her bottom rooted to her chair. "Is everything alright, Sire? You aren't usually so late."

There was a moment's pause. "There was a problem to take care of." Itachi's voice clearly stated that she was not to inquire further nor add a comment of her own.

Sakura looked back at her plate and kept it there not wanting to anger him further. Soon a hand slid into view, one containing her course for the meal, but she didn't dare look up to see the face that the hand belonged to. Eventually, she felt the piercing gaze lift off, and Sakura breathed easier. She unclenched her fists from under the table, and set about eating her meal.

She waited until she heard the unmistakable sound of Itachi finishing his meal, and the faint sound of cloth moving as he left the table, and soon enough the room. Only then did she dare to look-up again. She breathed in a deep sigh of relief, and shut her eyes momentarily. Does he expect me to never speak again? Everything I say to him irritates him. I'd be starved for conversation right about now if I didn't keep stumbling into trouble with his own captives.

Sakura excused herself to the seemingly empty room, knowing that there was someone nearby, unseen, who would hear her. She rose gracefully from her chair and walked purposefully up the stairs to her room, her back straight, and her posture perfect. She wanted to deliberately show that she could still hold herself up, no matter how crazy this imprisonment of sand colored walls was.

It was nearly the midnight hour, before Sakura emerged from her room again. She had left the deep emerald, full sleeve dress on, but she had pulled her hair up and out of the way, as she tied the dark cloak tightly around her shoulders. She turned and held the door handle as she shut it ever so quietly behind her. With that task done, she pulled the cloak's hood up above her head, letting it settle down gently to tuck her head in its shadow. She slipped her hand inside the cloak to the pocket on its right side and felt the slim pages of her book tucked securely in its folds.

Finally satisfied she slipped down the moonlit halls, making sure she stuck to the shadows, and snuck into the hidden stairwell behind the painting unnoticed. She lit the candle with a match and walked steadily down the tightly spiraled stairs. Within moments she was face-to-face with the solid, old wooden door that led into the kitchens. She inhaled deeply and released it slowly to calm her rapidly beating heart, before taking the plunge and opening the door.

The second she stepped beyond the door and had closed it just as quietly as she had opened it behind her, a hand shot out of the darkness and ensnared her wrist.

"Aren't we a glutton for punishment?" A mildly amused voice asked.

Sakura held her hand with the candle steady, and rejected the instinct to snap herself free.

"Are all of you here?" she asked, her voice just as steady, not betraying her pounding heart, and keeping the light where it was, allowing the person hanging on to her to keep to his own shadows.

"Is all of who here?" the voice asked in return, avoiding her question in tone, but his hand twitched ever so slightly around her wrist.

Sakura smiled wickedly to herself. "Let me know when I am wrong," she started.

The hand around hers didn't move, but neither did he comment or question.

"Nara Shikamaru," she stated and the arm around her clenched. Her grin broadened.

"Yamanaka Ino. Akimichi Chouji. Inuzuka Kiba & his dog, Akamaru." She paused for a moment before continuing, the heavy silence that greeted her fueling her on. "Aburame Shino. Hyuuga Neji. And unless I am very much mistaken, Uzumaki Naruto has been a frequent guest as well." She didn't dare say his name aloud. Not yet. She wouldn't until she was sure beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Time passed in absolute silence, the tension in the air so thick that Sakura could have sworn she could have seen it had it been brighter in the room.

"Let her go," a tense and reluctant voice finally stated from the darkness. The hand that had been grasping her wrist with increasing intensity as each name was mentioned wrenched itself away.

"Thank you," she returned mildly. "That was beginning to hurt."

"Why don't you remove your hood, Princess? We already know who you are," the voice Sakura was pretty sure belonged to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed youth continued.

"Show me your faces, and I shall show you mine. I already know who you are as well, why hide now?" Sakura countered. She decided to go one more step further. "Don't tell me your too afraid now?"

"Don't push your luck too far Princess," he growled warningly.

Sakura merely shrugged her shoulders, keeping her calm façade, though she could have sworn they could hear her heart pounding. It was deafening to her own ears. "It was merely a suggestion."

She heard several sighs, and some mutterings, before more candles were lit, illuminating the kitchen more thoroughly than Sakura had ever seen it before at night. She congratulated herself internally, before wiping her face clean and settling her hood down around her shoulders, revealing her own face to the four young men in front of her. Where is the fifth one? She wondered to herself. Could he really be…?

The one she presumed to be Hinata's fiancé stood in the center of the group, his eyes narrowed on her suspiciously. She held his eyes steadily. "Are you Naruto, then?" She inquired, curious to know for sure.

"Yes," he answered evenly, every inch of his features tense with apprehension.

She lifted her gaze from him and looked at the remaining three. "Kiba & Akamaru?" She indicated the young man with wild brown hair standing to her left, his white dog faithfully at his side. His eyes narrowed in answer. She took it as a 'yes.'

Her eyes traveled back over Naruto to the young man with the high-spiked ponytail. "Shikamaru," she stated more than questioned. He met her eyes in response. "Then you must be Chouji," she said to the man standing closest to her on her right, she assumed it had been his grip on her arm. He nodded silently.

"And you?" Naruto asked. "Since you already seem to know the rest of us," he clarified.

"I would have thought that you knew that already, but" she answered lightly. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

"How…?"

"The whirlwind, Ino, and my own deductions."

There was a low groan from Shikamaru. Naruto's eyes flickered to him briefly before returning to Sakura.

"Where is the fifth member of your group? The one I mistook for another not too long ago" Sakura asked, curious, and hoping they would tell her something first.

The four stiffened more in response. "Why do you want to know?" Naruto asked. Apparently he was the spokesperson for the group.

Sakura shrugged nonchalantly, trying to appear calm. "Simply inquiring. I was under the impression that the five of you were always together."

"He's…preoccupied," Naruto responded. The slight pause and infliction in his voice caught her attention, but she didn't comment or give the slightest indication that she had noticed it.

"And I am to assume that Shino is being held with Neji then?"

"Yes," Naruto gritted out between his teeth. A look passed across all of their eyes. Sakura wondered if she was pushing her questions too far. "Why are you here, and what do you want?" He finally cut out.

"I want to know why all of you are here," she dodged the question.

She heard a snort from her left. Her gaze flickered to Kiba. "Give you one guess," he muttered.

"Itachi," she answered without hesitation. He nodded angrily in agreement.

"And you?"

Sakura's eyes shifted to Shikamaru. "Same reason," she responded.

"However," she said after a moment's pause. "I am not so sure our reasons are exactly the same." The four looked at her questioningly.

"The five of you were discussing me, I presume," she prompted, ignoring their unspoken questions. Immediately they were on their guard again. She knew she had presumed right. "To use against Itachi," she continued. They didn't answer. Sighing, she pressed on. "Why?"

Akamaru's nose twitching in her direction was the only warning she received before a cold hand twisted her free arm behind her back, and held her still by kissing a blade to her neck again. "That business is our own," the fifth and last voice hissed in her ear.

Sakura remained absolutely still, letting nothing escape onto her face, as she had been taught, and what she had rigorously taught herself. "The missing group member, I presume?" Her heart pounded in her throat. Is it really…?

"Should you really be up right now?" Naruto inquired the figure behind her, concern lacing his voice.

Sakura could feel the glare shot at the Uzumaki heir, even though she could not see it. She could feel his even breathing on the back of her neck he was so close.

"Who are you exactly?" Sakura asked, half-afraid of the answer. The air tensed again, and the breath on her neck paused for the shortest of seconds. She sighed. "Alright, I get it. Forbidden question, right?"

"Hn," she heard the smirk behind her.

"No offense Princess, but we still don't trust you," Naruto answered.

"The feeling is mutual," she grumbled slightly, tired of holding her neck steady enough to avoid the sharp bite of metal that could end her life. "What if I have to sneeze?" She finally inquired humorlessly, looking down at the blade. She recognized with a heart-wrenching jolt the reflection of the eyes in the metallic surface; dark orbs, laced with too many flickering emotions carved under the surface to pin down watched the sight in front of them, carefully avoiding her own gaze.

A stifled chuckle traveled across the room, and the blade was removed from her immediate wind passage, but kept within sight, the hand twisting her arm never giving an inch. She relaxed slightly. "Thank you," she said gratefully through the lump that had seemed to lodge itself in her throat.

"Still polite," the cool voice muttered softly behind her. She only caught it because of their close proximity.

"So you do remember me," she half told herself, her heart skipping a beat. She felt the breath hitch again.

"How long ago?" She pressed. "Three years? Four? Or…is it twelve?" She felt tension rise in the room again and she smiled serenely, echoes of panic pounded along with her own heart. Hoping against hope, hardly daring to breathe because she knew what the results would be if she were wrong, the heartache it would cause, and the unknown length of time when she would know nothing, she closed her eyes and repeated the familiar words with her same quiet smile. "Why won't you look at me?"

He didn't answer, but his breathing stilled against her neck again. Encouraged, she continued.

"Can you keep a secret?"

Still nothing was said.

"There's a secret door hidden here that leads to the kitchen and then outside, but hardly anyone else knows about it." Her heart pounded in time with the echoes that pounded in her.

She felt his struggle to keep his silence.

"Can you keep another secret?"

He hesitated, wary of where this was leading.

"Before I arrived here, I trained myself in secret."

She smiled warmly at the remembrance of his words.

"To protect myself and anyone else who needs it. Plus, I want to be just as good as you one day, in my own way. Though, you are still one of the best warriors around to me," she repeated the dialogue for his ears only, shifting the words around a bit to suit her own needs.

Echoes resounded in her heart. Pain. Anger. Rage. Regret…she realized after a moment.

"And you want to know something else?" She continued, keeping her voice soothing. "…I confessed my undying love for you, promising to become the perfect bride…and then disappeared."

The echoes changed to something else she couldn't put her finger on before it was gone and replaced by something else entirely. Betrayal.

"And now, you're all set to marry Itachi," Kiba spat, finally breaking into the one-sided silence. Sakura finally opened her eyes and saw that their audience was watching the exchange intently, whether they had heard every word she had just said or not, she did not know. Akamaru growled in agreement. Sakura leveled her unblinking gaze to Kiba's face. "I'm not denying it."

The echoes sliced through her. Now it was her turn to struggle to keep her silence of the words she wished she could say, but she carried on.

"What would you like to see?" She continued to repeat, watching her audience, but directing her words elsewhere.

The continued silence began to irritate her.

"Well that doesn't get us very far does it?" Her tone was harsher than she would have liked.

"…I'm sorry," he whispered after a moment, breaking his own imposed silence. The blade disappeared from her view in a flash, and the hand holding her's in place released its hold, and before she could even register the abrupt change he had stolen through the scattered, remaining shadows and had vanished out the very back door she had mentioned earlier.

"Wait! Sas-" A hand clasped itself firmly in place over her mouth, silencing her thoroughly.

She glared at Naruto; the hand belonged to him.

"Don't," he half-threatened, half-pleaded.

She glared harder, but didn't try to give chase. Instead she folded her one free arm over across her chest and grasped her other arm, the candle still firmly held in her hand. Its flame hadn't quivered once during the entire exchange, though every part of her insides quivered. From what exactly, she did not know.

Naruto reluctantly released his grasp from her mouth. She kept her lips sealed shut, but questioned him with her hard eyes.

It was his turn to sigh. "There's more at stake than you could possibly realize. For your own sake, don't get involved. If you can, get out. And don't come back."

At the same moment, all the candles, including her own were extinguished, and Sakura found herself in a more complete darkness than she had yet to experience before in her eighteen years of life.


	7. Wanted & Needed

**Author's Notes:** I must admit that this is becoming rather fun. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story. I hope it continues to produce an enrapturing time for you, if only for a spell. Enjoy Chapter Six. Constructive Critisism is always welcomed!

_Disclaimer: Yeah…right. Me? Own Naruto? You've got to be pulling my leg._

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**Chapter Six: Wanted & Needed**

"Do you really believe, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he will come for you?"

"Yes," Hinata's response was firm and immediate.

Sakura sighed. "You're so lucky," she whispered.

Somehow Sakura had managed to find her way to the topmost tower in utter darkness, the sprinkled bits of moonlight the only thing guiding her way when she happened to pass near a window. Now she lay against the back of the door that was the only barrier between Sakura and Hinata; Sakura had had sense enough to feel her way around for some more food for Hinata in the black abyss that was the kitchen.

Hinata sat against the other side, chewing away merrily between bits of conversation. She still didn't fully trust Sakura, or herself, to believe that any of this was true, but her stomach wasn't about to complain.

"Well," Sakura sighed again. "At least the person you love still loves you."

Hinata paused, misinterpreting Sakura's more implied meaning toward herself. "How would you know?"

"Because he managed to make his way all the way here to find you."

"What!?" Sakura heard Hinata scramble up to her feet, and so she did the same, but at a slower pace.

"Naruto Uzumaki is here. Well, he was, right before I came to see you, and he has been here before. At least as long as I've been here, apparently." She shrugged her shoulders, studying the intricate pattern of the grain in the wooden door, tracing it with a delicate finger. "Who knows? He might have been here before then."

"Then why am I still in here?" The tone in Hinata's voice caused Sakura to raise her head and meet Hinata's rejected expression.

"Oh no, Hinata," Sakura felt like kicking herself. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I think he's here not only for you, but also your cousin, and everyone else. He seems to be trying to take the weight of the world on his shoulders."

A nostalgic gleam lit up Hinata's face in a half-smile. "That sounds like him alright," she whispered softly toward the door.

Sakura slipped her hand through the bars until she was able to hook her fingers under Hinata's chin and lifted it gently to meet her gaze. "You are going to get out of here. I swear that to you now." She put all her determination into her voice.

"…What about you?"

Sakura let her hand drop away, and slid her arm back; she looked out the high window on her left and studied the stars in the night sky. Her heart clenched painfully. "I don't know. I already swore to myself that I would never let someone rescue me…but it doesn't look like I'm in quite the same situation as the rest of you anyway..." She looked back to see Hinata looking at her questioningly.

She answered Hinata with what she had withheld from the group downstairs without a second thought. "When I was six years old, my family signed a marriage contract with the Uchiha kingdom" she began.

"I was to wed one of their sons. My mother and I came to meet them. By the end of our visit I was officially betrothed. It was signed, dated, and documented." She paused. "You heard about what happened here, correct?"

"We all did."

Sakura nodded, partially relieved to have told her story, but still not sure of herself enough to explain the following part that had left her shattered into too many pieces to entirely pick up and piece back together.

"Itachi wasn't the first choice," Hinata stated, realization crashing down around her.

"No…he wasn't…" She paused to deliver her words carefully. "I had twelve years of relative peace, and I use the word 'peace' lightly. It was very hard at first, but I survived…we weren't given too much of a choice. Itachi was conquering places left and right; I can only assume he left us alone because of the contract. In a way, he owned us already. But I'm not like the rest of you, captive here behind locked doors. If I wanted to, I could run out those front doors right now and never look back…"

"But he's holding your parents and home over your head, isn't he?"

"That's one of the reasons that I am keeping myself fully rooted to this place…" She kicked the floor lightly. "I can't stand it here."

Hinata smiled tentatively. "Then maybe we're more alike than we thought."

Sakura smiled back, adding a teasing hint to her voice, finding comfort in Hinata's peaceful presence. "Maybe," she allowed. "But I'm not the one who has a fiancé who's trying to rescue his damsel in distress."

Hinata blushed in the darkness, happiness alighting her features, then a sliver of doubt. "Then why haven't I been delivered from this prison yet?"

Sakura sighed heavily and dramatically. It was far easier to keep Hinata's spirits up then her own, and far less work. "You know men. They have to do everything 'by the book.' First they need to slay the dragon, or evil wizard, or whatever evil being. Then they come in, sword swinging and confessing their undying love just before they rescue us. These things take time for them; they have to plan it all just right."

Hinata stifled a giggle. She rolled her eyes. "I suppose you're right. But…" she hesitated.

"What?" Sakura prompted.

"Won't you be sad if 'the dragon' is slain? He _is_ your fiancé, and the sole survivor of the Uchiha line."

It was Sakura's turn to hesitate; she studied Hinata for a moment, judging how trustworthy the girl seemed. After a moments' indecision she threw all caution to the wind. "I don't think that he is."

"What?" Hinata was taken a-back.

"I think that there just might be one other survivor." Sakura studied Hinata's expression carefully.

"Who?"

She paused. "My first betrothed."

"But-Sakura! That's good news, right? You can get out of here! You don't have to be with Itachi." She looked genuinely happy for sole companion in that dark and gloomy place.

Sakura was already shaking her head before Hinata had finished speaking. "I don't think that it will work. He doesn't want to be with me. I doubt he even wants me around. He probably never wanted me around in the first place when we first met…" Her face fell as she thought more about it. "I know he didn't. He practically said as much."

"Do _you_ want to be with him again?"

"Every time I close my eyes I can see us when we were six years old," Sakura said, memories threading themselves around her eyes. "He was part of my every breath, my every waking and sleeping moment. It was an innocent, sweet time; one in which I never stopped dreaming…" Sakura re-focused on the door again, pushing the memories away with force. "But I woke up."

"Sakura…"

She shook her head, looking up to meet Hinata's sad eyes. "It's time we both got some sleep. Rest well knowing that one day soon you will be far away from this place with the one who loves you with all of his heart. At that time I'll wish you a 'happily ever after,' and pray that yours holds true."

She departed into the darkness of the night-fallen halls, retreating into the dark abyss of her mind when she finally reached her bed and had slid inside it, her sleeping gown comforting her, still smelling like home. For once, she didn't sink into the comatose state, but instead suffered the full blows of pain and heartache from her memories. She relived her childhood days as if she were there again, and lived over and over the days following her departure.

She faintly managed to stay afloat by clinging to the pictures of Hinata's blissful face and praying that things worked out for her. She deserved better than how she was being treated now, and drifted off to a restless sleep in the early morning hours.

----------

Sakura was awoken to a constant shaking of her shoulders.

"What?" She croaked out groggily, longing for more sleep; her body had finally gone numb.

She heard a sigh of relief. "Good, you aren't like before," a feminine voice commented to herself. "Now, please, wake up. We need to talk to you."

Sakura opened her blurry eyes to meet the pale-blue ones of Ino Yamanaka, her blonde hair reflecting the orange rays of sunlight of the early morning light. It looked like dawn had just broken over the horizon. "Ugh," she said before trying to roll over and drift off to sleep.

"Please, Sakura, this is important," another voice added, male this time.

Sakura bolted up in her bed, awake in an instant. Naruto stood just behind Ino. "What are you doing here? If Itachi catches you-"

Ino and Naruto exchanged a quick look, causing Sakura to cut herself off. She watched in confusion as Ino went to stand guard outside the door.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked in suspicion, gathering the blankets up to her chin, hugging her knees to her chest, and resting her chin on top.

Naruto turned back around to face her with a sigh. He stood awkwardly at the foot of her bed, shuffling his feet, unsure of how to start.

"You may sit down, if you wish," Sakura allowed, while she indicated the far end of the mattress with her eyes.

"Thanks," he murmured, embarrassed. She felt her body lean backward in its automatic response from the sudden dip forward of his weight. "I- we- you have to understand..."

"Sure, that makes perfect sense," she responded sarcastically. She couldn't help it. She was tired. She was exhausted. She was irritated. She felt rejected. And she was sitting in her nightgown at the crack of dawn with a stranger who couldn't spit out his reasons for waking her up in the first place! She knew the world already hated her, after surviving this long with what she knew, but did every_one_ have to hate her too?

More than anything at the moment she wanted to sleep forever. Maybe the next hundred years even. Surely by then _someone_ would want her and kiss her awake from this nightmare they called life.

His stutter worsened.

Sakura felt a twinge of sympathy for this person who would go to the ends of the earth for so many. She felt her heartstrings tug in his direction. This person could give her information, and, perhaps in return, she could reveal a bit of her own. "I'll make you a deal," she offered, quietly.

Naruto looked up at her confused. "A deal?"

She nodded reluctantly. "Yes. I have information you might find highly useful, and you have information I would like to know."

He looked at her warily, but amused at her bluntness.

"We try again tonight. I will be there, and I expect _all_ of you to be there as well. Same time, same place. We'll discuss everything then. Do we have an accord?" She slipped her arm out of the warm covers and into the cool air that sat between them.

He paused for a moment before grinning broadly. "We still don't trust you much."

"Neither I you, but I am all you have."

Naruto clasped her hand and shook it. "Then it looks like we're agreed."

"Now go," Sakura urged. "I cannot begin to fathom what gave you the idea to come here at all, but now I am beginning to think that you are suicidal if you are going to start wandering around during the day right under Itachi's nose."

Naruto's grin broadened even wider if it was possible, and Sakura felt drawn for reasons unknown to her, to smile back. She had been too busy throughout most of her life to have any friends, and she faintly wondered if this was sort of what it might be like. She wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Naruto in turn, rose from the end of the bed and tapped on the door, waiting for Ino to give the all clear before making his escape.

Sakura leaned back against her headboard and wondered at the strange turn of events her life and made, and speculated how she was going to survive much more. Fully awake now, she rolled out of her bed, and tried to think of things to do to keep her occupied for the rest of the day.

Slowly the hours passed.

Sakura couldn't seem to stick to any one thing for long. She had always considered herself to be a fairly patient person, but the sun seemed to be taking its time in its travel across the sky.

Eventually the sun began to dip below the horizon, and Sakura found herself eating alone at her evening meal. She had been on time; she'd arrived early actually, but Itachi was nowhere in sight, yet again. His absence made her nervous, and she seemed to jump at every squeak and rustle of movement.

So intent was she on focusing her attention on everything around her, that she didn't feel the echoes until they all but threw themselves at her in breath-taking force.

_Pain._

It raced through her veins in more fury than she had felt in years. It hadn't been this strong since _that_ night…

As Sakura clutched at her heart, attempting to calm its fluttering of panic, something slid into place. _The echoes,_ she realized with a start. They weren't from her. Hadn't her mother mentioned something of the sort to her? Something about inheriting her mother's Gift? Had she been talking about _this_? These feelings that coursed through her own veins as if she were reliving something of someone else's?

Her heart began to pound in its own rhythm, different from the echoes that continued behind hers. Then…this whole time? And she had never realized…? Sakura slammed a fist to her forehead. _Stupid. Stupid. Stupid._

She rose from her seat to dash off, but to _where_?

She focused inwardly and concentrated on the echoes. They tugged her in one direction. She followed unsteadily, not really sure of what she was doing. _This is insane. What am I doing? What do I _think _I can do when I get there? Wherever 'there' is._

_Pain_ was replaced with _Resentment_ and _Hatred_.

She grimaced. Even if she did find where she was going, would she like what she saw when she arrived there?

She had crossed the dining room and now stood in front of the door that led back out into the hall, her meal lay forgotten back on the table. She reached her hand out to grasp the door handle when it turned on its own. She stumbled back in shock, until it opened, and she was looking up into the face of a vexed Itachi.

He didn't show anything on his face exactly, but the air around him seemed to radiate his displeased-ment at something. He brushed past her without so much as acknowledging her presence, sitting down at the table without sparing a glance in her direction.

Sakura paled slightly, and her stomach twisted at what had met her eyes. He had bloodstains, fresh more the look of them, lingering on his clothes. He didn't seem bothered by the metallic smell that seeped off of him.

_Whose is it?_ _Who would dare to…?_ She stopped wondering. There were too many who would dare, and she could only hope that whoever it was had survived.

He began to eat unperturbed, and Sakura wondered idly whether anyone had ever tried to poison his food, before letting herself out.

The echoes had faded and had all but disappeared as she had stood watching Itachi. They were too dull now to get a clear hold on; she was too new to this discovery. She didn't know where to even begin looking, so instead she returned to her room to prepare for later that night, hoping that she could find something to do to calm her shaking hands.

No sooner had she shut the door behind her than an urgent, but hushed knock sounded on her door. Sakura reached out to open her door, but jumped back when it swung open with a force that would have knocked her to the floor had she not been quick enough to move out of the way.

"What in the seven hells-" Sakura caught herself off at the face before her eyes.

Ino stood, pale and breathless in her doorway. "We need you," she stated without pretense. "Now."

Suddenly Sakura felt herself being pulled along without her consent down the hallway, through secret passages she didn't know had even existed, and some she did. It felt like she was being dragged around in circles, but they were always heading down.

With a start, Ino came to a halt at the end of a particularly steep and narrow flight of stairs to burst through a door at its end. Sakura had long given up on trying to remember every change in direction they had made.

"I brought her," Ino's panicked voice brought Sakura back to the present. What met her eyes when she looked beyond Ino's back stopped her heart where she stood.

"I'm good at figuring out the components of different substances," a tense voice was speaking in the whirl of words and people rushing about in the small room. "I'm not a medic!"

"What are we going to do? The bleeding won't stop!" Another voice was added to the confusion.

"You've had field training before, use it! Put pressure on it!" A third voice sounded in the air.

"Put the pressure where? There's too many areas to begin with, and just how am I supposed to put pressure on an area _that_ big?"

Ino had already left her side to join in the frantic fray. "Use strips of cloth to bind what you can! Too much blood loss and he's dead!"

Time had shifted oddly for Sakura in that single moment. People and shadows rushed back and forth before her, but she stood rooted to the spot hardly aware of it. Instead the entire focus of her being was focused on the object of everyone's panic.

Lying on a low cot, blood starting to seep through its lining and drip to the floor, lay a prone body covered in a spreading crimson stain. One arm was bent at a grotesque angle, and the blurs moving around the body avoided touching it, afraid to do more damage.

The loss of blood had intensified the paleness already consistently present on his skin, making a stark contrast against his dark, midnight colored hair. Sweat had left a glistening sheen from head to toe that swirled with the crimson pools of liquid that continued to spread.

One of the blurs accidentally backed into the arm, and she felt the echo of sharp, intense _Pain_ as he gritted his teeth against the yell before slipping back into unconsciousness.

The echo restarted her heart and limbs. She didn't care who or how or why or where or when. All she knew was that he was in pain, and each moment, each struggle to pump more blood through his heart and into his body that was leaking out faster than it could be replaced was shortening his life with each second that ticked by.

And she was just standing there.

Doing nothing.

She snapped back to reality with frightening clarity. "Ino," she said sternly, completely in control and at ease in her element; Tsunade had trained her for exactly these kinds of situations. Ino froze, towels in hand, mouth agape at Sakura's tone. "I want you to go upstairs into my room and grab a small wooden kit that is underneath my bed."

Ino continued to stare at her.

"NOW!"

Ino jumped as if she had been hit, and took off like the demons of hell were on her heels. Sakura watched her go, and turned around when she realized the room had gone silent. The only sound was the labored breathing of the life slipping away on the far side of the room. Everyone was staring at her wide-eyed.

"What are all of you waiting for, an invitation?" She asked exasperated. "I need water, towels, spare cloth, herbs, anything and everything."

They hadn't moved. "Yesterday!"

Everyone suddenly begin to move at once, and Sakura moved forward. She pulled her handkerchief out from the pocket of her dress, tying back her hair as she approached the cot. In the back of her mind she heard a little voice remark about how it was a good thing she was wearing a deep red dress as she kneeled without hesitation in the pool of ever spreading blood, and began to inspect her patient.

She wiped his saturated bangs away from his face with delicate fingertips, and whispered softly, "Hang in there…Sasuke."

His eyelids fluttered at the sound of her voice and she smiled gently in relief before accepting the wooden box, containing her medicinal supplies that Ino handed to her, and she set to work. _Should I close the wounds first or take care of the arm? The arm won't kill him, but the blood loss could. But the arm is in the way, and it needs to be set before anything starts to heal itself…_

Sakura bit her lip. "You," she indicated one of the people hovering near by, she didn't stop to look to see who it was. "Fold up something thick and set it between his teeth. This isn't going to be easy and he could bite his own tongue off from the pain.

"Ino, you and a few others need to take care of that large wound on his chest, it's the one that is most dangerous right now. Clean it up as best you can and apply pressure to keep more blood from oozing out. I need people to hold him down; he's going to struggle as it is."

"What are you going to do?" A familiar voice asked as the person it belonged to slipped a thick strap of leather between Sasuke's teeth.

"I'm going to snap his arm back in place and bind it up as best I can for the moment; I'll fix it up properly once I have taken care of everything else." She glanced up briefly to see Naruto nod, his face grim but set. She stole quick glances around to see Kiba and Chouji holding down her patients' legs, while Shikamaru held down his other arm. Ino and a few girls were trying their best to hole up the wound with now-dyed-red towels, holding him down in the process.

Naruto took hold of Sasuke's bad shoulder gingerly, but firmly while he kept a watch on Sasuke's head. He looked at Sakura and nodded. They were ready.

Sakura grasped Sasuke's arm gently and gritted her teeth. She pushed and heard the sickening crack of bone snapping back into place.

Sasuke's body reacted violently, and the others struggled to hold him down, their faces ashen. Sakura quickly grabbed a length of bandages and tightly bound his arm; keeping the bones in place before tying it off and settling his arm back down next to him.

Now came the hard part. She snatched her sharpest, thinnest needle from her kit, and gathered a sanitized length of thread. _Time to stitch him up._

Sakura bit her lip before carefully removing the towel over his chest and tossing it aside. As needle dug into flesh, several people darted out of the room green in the face. She ignored them and concentrated on the task before her.

----

Several hours later saw Sakura wiping her brow with the back of her wrist, smearing a bright streak across her forehead in the process. She had shoved and tied her sleeves up and out of her way long ago so that her arms too were striped in crimson. She sat back on her ankles exhausted.

The worst was finally over. He had been stitched up, patched up, and cleaned up. His right arm was now securely tied to a board for a splint and hung up in a sling. She looked at his peacefully sleeping, exhausted face, and stood up, her muscles aching and protesting in the process.

He looked a little worse for wear and she knew she probably didn't look much better. Her body ached for a warm, clean bath, but more important things came first.

She knew she had an audience.

Turning slowly she faced the group standing behind her, their faces tense. She smiled reassuringly. "He's going to be just fine. It's just a matter of time." She kept her tone low so as not to disturb his tired form.

Their relieved faces buoyed her own spirits, and then she let her expression falter slightly. She looked each person in the room in the eye and said three little words. "Who and why?"


	8. Deep Chasms of Fear & DarkColored Moss

**Author's Notes:** Chapter Seven already? –ack- Time flies. Hope you enjoy the update! Until Next Time! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: The previous six chapters should have dropped a hint at this by now._

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Deep Chasms of Fear & Dark-Colored Moss**

The room was deathly still. Once again, Sakura could only hear the deep breathing of her patient in the silence of the room. Several people caught each other's eyes and left the room without a single word in response.

Sakura waited. She wasn't going anywhere until she finally had her answers. If they tried to remove her by force, she would make such a racket that her own parents would hear her back at home.

Those who left avoided her stern gaze and set jaw. She looked ready for a fight with blood riding up and down her arms, hands, and face, and saturated into her gown. The expression on her face left no room for argument, as she began to tap her fingers against her folded arms.

Only five others remained in the room, still avoiding her sharp emerald eyes, brimming with emotions. She hadn't felt so alert in twelve years. Saying his name hadn't hurt. She had been able to say it, several times even, with nothing but relief. And she wasn't about to give that up so easily. "I'm waiting," her tone ready like a cat waiting to pounce upon its prey, or a mother who knew her child had snuck extra sweets and only needed the confession to confirm it.

The other five in the room shifted and shuffled awkwardly as if she really was their mother and they had been caught red-handed.

"…It's a long story," Naruto finally caved, but hedged.

"I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I have all the time in the world. Please, enlighten me," her tone was soft, but bordering on impatience.

"Just tell her," a weakened, but still distant voice broke into the continued quiet.

All of their heads whipped toward the sound to see Sasuke staring up at the ceiling with a look of resignation on his drained face.

"But-" Ino started before Sasuke cut him off.

"She'll figure it out eventually anyway. She knows too much now," his tone was cold but empty.

"We could always kill her, so that she'll never say a word," Kiba suggested. Sakura through him a look that dared him to try, saying without words that she would finish him off before he could lay a finger on her.

He scowled at her in response.

Sakura chose to ignore Kiba and instead approached Sasuke's prone figure, and leaned hesitantly over him. "How are you feeling?"

He avoided her eyes to stare at the wall next to him, not answering.

She felt a stab of pain as her heart twisted from rejection. Her expression dropped into an impassive mask. Her voice was toneless. "I'm asking as a Healer to her patient. I took care of everything I could, but if I missed anything, I need to know now, before it becomes worse."

His tone was just as empty. "No. There's nothing else."

"Good." Sakura turned without a second glance back, her body felt numb. There had been so much more said in their short conversation than she would have cared to hear.

Everyone who saw her dull eyes flinched in response. It cut through them more effectively than if she had yelled at the top her lungs.

"Come on Sakura," Ino broke the heavy silence, as a peace offering. "Let's get you cleaned up first. You look like a nightmare." She gently caught Sakura's elbow and guided her out of the room, four pairs of eyes watching their retreat intently, the last pair stared determinedly at the wall.

Sakura trudged to a bucket full of water, dipped her elbows in and scrubbed her skin vigorously. The scarlet stains swirled with the water, tinting it a faint pink. She rubbed so hard her skin began to turn an angry red as she released her frustration.

"Sakura, stop," Ino's hand yanked away the rag Sakura had been using, and snatched her arms out of the water. "You're rubbing your skin raw."

Sakura didn't meet Ino's eyes, but stared into the bucket between them, her faded expression stared back at her. Ino reached out and tugged on a strand of pink hair. "Look at me." Sakura reluctantly lifted her gaze to meet Ino's furious eyes. "Keep this up, and I'll never forgive you for hurting him."

Something inside Sakura snapped. Her voice came out strangled in slight hysteria. "Him?! Hurt _him_? Do you have _any_ idea what I've gone through for the last twelve years? I thought he was _dead_! Dead! Do you understand? Do you have any idea what that was like? Twelve _years_! And now I find out he's alive, and all anyone can tell me is to mind my own business! Because of all of _this_ I'm now engaged to his _brother_! Don't you _dare_ begin to lecture me on hurting _him-_"

A smart slap resounded in the air, and Sakura turned her head to look at Ino in astonishment. The look on Ino's face was one of anger and incredulity. "I may not understand all of what you've been through, but I can sympathize with not knowing. You know what _I_ went through, how else would you have been able to figure all of us out? I thought Shikamaru was dead at one point too. Did you forget that? But _I_ went looking for _him_, even though everyone else told me it was pointless. And I found him! It's nowhere near what I would call paradise, but at least we're together. _You_ on the other hand, didn't even bother to look. He's had to live through everything here _alone_ for twelve years."

"I was six years old!" Sakura protested. "What did you want me to do?"

"Exactly!" Ino snapped back. "So was he, Sakura! He was six years old. What would you have expected him to do? You never even thought to delve deeper, did you? Everyone just said, 'Poor Itachi,' and moved on with their lives! And you moved right along with them! You know what he's been up to. What he's doing now. What he's done to all of us, and yet you're still here! You agreed to marry him!"

"I had no choice!"

"No choice? Don't make me laugh! Where were you when the resistance started? Where are you now? You chose the easy way out. You didn't even _try_. Do you really love Itachi that much? Has he already replaced Sasuke for you?"

A second resounding smack was heard, but this time it was Ino who goggled at Sakura in shock.

Sakura's eyes were a-flame as she hissed between her teeth. "Don't you dare," her voice deathly quiet. "Don't you dare even suggest- I died inside that day!" Adrenaline pumped through Sakura's veins and her entire frame shook with emotions she hadn't allowed herself to feel in ages.

"Why you-" Ino started again, recovering from her shock, her arm rising again. Another hand caught it and held it in place.

"Enough Ino."

"But! Shikamaru-"

The tall, spiky pony-tailed young man shook his head quietly. Ino snapped her wrist free and stood in a huff.

"Fine! Do whatever you want!" She stormed out of the room.

Unnoticed to her before, Sakura realized that the two of them had attracted an audience. Sakura watched Ino leave, her body still quaking, and her breathing heavy as she struggled and lost against the wave of emotions that crashed through her system.

"Do you _really_ want to know?" A subdued voice asked.

Sakura glared at Naruto. "What do you think?" Her voice continued to hiss out.

He sighed. "Alright. We'll tell you." Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged. "Sasuke already agreed, so we can't really come up with a reason not to, other than we were trying to protect the both of you."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't comment.

Naruto sighed again and rubbed the back of his head. "Let's go outside, and talk there."

"Someone needs to stay with _him_," she reminded the group before her, not forgetting her medic training, even amongst the chaos.

"I'll stay behind," Chouji volunteered.

"See?" Naruto said, trying to lighten the mood. "All taken care of. Are you coming or not?"

Sakura finally relented, tersely. "Fine." She stood with all the dignity she could muster, shaking out her dress, and rolling down her sleeves. She still looked a mess, but she could try to look like a neat mess. She followed Naruto up a few stairs and halls, Kiba and Shikamaru trailing not far behind.

As they exited out the back kitchen door, Sakura noted that none of the staff even glanced up at their approach until they saw Sakura with them. Then every single pair of eyes watched them warily. Her frown deepened, and she glanced down at herself, maybe she looked worse than she thought, but she didn't have much time to think about it before the bright orange-red rays of the rising sun outside swallowed them up.

She followed the taller young man before her into the surrounding forest, not stopping until they reached a familiar place from her childhood. It was the old training grounds, up kept in the passing years, and as good-looking as ever. Sakura once again had the feeling like time had stopped, before Naruto whirled around to face her.

Sakura shifted her weight and folded her arms across her chest, glowering. "I'm still waiting."

"How much do you know?" Naruto asked.

"I know the entire Uchiha clan was murdered in their sleep one night, twelve years ago. Until very recently, I, along with the rest of the world, believed the oldest heir, Itachi Uchiha, to be the sole survivor of the massacre," she stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto nodded. "That's what all the official reports read. But you heard the rumors."

Sakura nodded once, curtly. "The whispers said that Itachi was the one…" She trailed off, realization crashing down on her, as Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru watched her face intently. "He really did it didn't he?" Her voice filled with reluctant shock. "Itachi killed them. He killed them all," she repeated the words over to herself, aghast, trying to process the information. She hugged herself fiercely, trying to hold herself together. "Then…?"

"Yes," Naruto answered her unasked question. "He kept Sasuke alive; beaten and terrified, Sasuke survived."

Sakura looked him full in the face, asking with her eyes, not trusting herself to use her voice anymore.

"Itachi tossed him to the handful of remaining servants with the words," Shikamaru continued for Naruto, " 'Here, take him as one of you. Starting today he earns his keep. None of you are to speak of his existence to anyone. To the rest of the world he is dead. And he _will_ be if anyone so much as breathes a word about this ever again.' Then he turned to Sasuke specifically, 'Be grateful. I spared your life only because you weren't worth killing.' He went on to challenge Sasuke to live in anyway possible and to come after him when he was stronger."

Kiba chimed in. "Now, Sasuke fights Itachi anytime they meet; Sasuke's always the one who ends up worse for wear."

Sakura felt the world tilt around her, and her legs finally gave out on her. She landed on her knees with a thump. The three rushed over to make sure she was okay. Sakura felt the barriers she had built crumble and the trickle of echoes return.

_Regret. Pain. Loss._

She sat still, numb with disbelief. Her own words swirling before her eyes.

_…Perhaps more feared are the rumors that claim that the sole survivor of the massacre killed his entire kinsmen on his own. Those who believe that, question why? Some say it was a test to join the Akatsuki._

_More frightening still are the others who say it was simply a test he gave to himself to see if he could…_

"Don't you see?" Naruto asked imploringly, squatting in front of Sakura once he was sure she was okay. "No one is to know of Sasuke's existence. If Itachi ever finds out that others know, he really will kill Sasuke this time."

Sakura concentrated on the echoes mimicking her own heart. She closed her eyes and listened to them silently for a moment, before releasing a deep breath of air. "Hyuuga Neji is being kept in the dungeons, probably along with Aburame Shino."

"We know," Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. This wasn't exactly the response he had been expecting.

Sakura opened her eyes and stared at a patch of dark moss next to her hand, she could just make out in the dim light of the dense forest. "And Uzumaki Naruto's fiancée, Hyuuga Hinata is locked away in the topmost tower of Uchiha Itachi's castle, waiting for him to rescue her."

The clearing had gone silent. Sakura could hear the rustling of leaves and bird chirps above her, but the three who were right next to her didn't make a sound. She sighed deeply and met Naruto's look of disbelief.

"How-? We haven't heard so much as a whisper- When-?" He was back to stuttering.

"I stumbled upon her one day when I was trying to keep myself busy by exploring. Once I knew for sure who you were, I let her know you were here. She's been pretty upset, but I heard her tell Itachi that he couldn't hold her forever, one way or another she was going to get out; either by your help or her own devices-" Sakura was cut off when she suddenly found herself engulfed in an intense hug.

Naruto held her at arms length. "Thank you!" He blurted out, his voice a rush of gratitude. "I've been half out of my mind- Thank you!"

Startled, Sakura could only gape back at him. "You seemed pretty held together to me?"

Naruto released her and started jumping around and amongst the dense green trees. Sakura could only watch him, amusement lifting the corner of her mouth slightly. Kiba and Shikamaru were still staring at Sakura in amazement.

"Let's go!" Naruto grabbed Sakura's wrist and tried to pull her along as she stumbled to her feet.

"Go where?" Sakura asked warily, holding her ground.

"Back! So that we can get Hinata!"

"No," she stated flatly.

Naruto looked at her, lost.

"She's right, Naruto," Kiba added. "It's enough that we know where she is right now, and that she's safe."

"We can set everything into motion now," Shikamaru commented. Offhandedly he added, "This is going to be a pain."

Naruto looked crestfallen for a moment before brightening again. "Right! Now we can really get started! So let's head back and tell Sasuke-teme-"

"No," Sakura repeated again just as flatly.

"No?" Naruto looked even more confused than before.

"I'm not going back. The three of you can go back, but I'm returning to my room. In case you hadn't noticed, it's getting lighter by the second and I didn't sleep all night. I'm going to bed," she turned on her heel and began her trek out of the forest, hoping she would remember the way and not trip on anything in the process.

A hand caught her arm and she paused. "He still cares about you, you know," Naruto told her quietly.

"You don't understand," Sakura replied bitterly. "You say 'still,' but he'd have to have cared in the first place for that to be applied."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, but she simply snapped her arm free, turned and ran back to the castle, not caring how 'unladylike' she must look with her skirts hiked up around her knees. She flew through the door and up the stairs, never stopping until she threw herself in her room, shut the door, and slid down along the doors' length. She gasped, trying to catch her breath and her heart pounded sharply in her chest, as she clutched a stitch in her side.

She just sat there, her thoughts racing through her head until they made her dizzy.

Eventually she dragged herself to her feet, and cleaned herself up the best that she could from her water pitcher before throwing on her nightgown, keeping her eyes from the blood and mud stained dress she had thrown into the corner of her room. She slipped between her covers and pulled them above her head, reveling in the dark stillness around her.

Not too long after, sleep evading her; she heard the click of her door. "What do you want?" Sakura's voice sounded from under her sheets.

"Can you do me a favor?" A muffled voice sounded from the other side.

Sakura stifled a groan and tossed her sheets off her head. "It's considered rude to enter a Lady's room without permission, especially when she is dressed for bed, and when he is already engaged, Naruto."

"I know," Naruto responded sheepishly.

She grumbled to herself. "Well…?"

"You're the only one who knows how to get to Hinata." He stated more than questioned.

She frowned. "I suppose, aside from Itachi, but you shouldn't risk coming so far into the castle where he might find you to ask me that."

"I know…it's just…Can you take me to see her?"

Sakura was startled by the question. "What?"

"I would like to see Hinata," Naruto repeated, shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Please?" He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes.

She rolled her own eyes in return, her mouth twitching upward again of its own accord. "Fine! But it's your own head if you're caught."

Naruto's eyes lit up like the sun and he grinned at her broadly.

She stared back at him for a moment. "Are you going to turn around so that I can change or do you expect me to go in my nightgown?"

His smile lighting up his face was enough to melt away any anger she held toward him as he nearly skipped away. She shook her head, and slid out from between her warm covers, the rug beneath her protecting her toes from the cold stone floors. Quickly throwing on the first dress her hands touched, she threw a wrap around her shoulders and slipped on her shoes before tapping Naruto on the shoulder.

"Let's go."

She could feel Naruto's barely concealed excitement each step of the way and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. Sakura flipped the switch, and stepped through the two-way mirror first, still leading the way. She reached the top landing and turned right, signaling for Naruto to keep quiet.

"Hinata?" Sakura called softly into the semi-darkness.

"Sakura?" Hinata's voice sounded alarmed. "Are you alright?"

She smiled. "I'm fine, but I have some good news for you," she had peered in through the bars at the pale-eyed girl.

Hinata eyed her suspiciously. "What is it?"

"See for your self." Sakura stepped away and revealed Naruto standing just behind her.

Hinata simply stared ahead at what met her eyes for several heartbeats, before her eyes filled up and spilled over. "A-are you really h-here?"

Naruto slipped his arm through the bars with minor difficulty, cupping her cheek. "Did you miss me?"

Hinata's face darkened to a brilliant shade of scarlet in response.

"I'll leave the two of you to catch up. I'll be waiting below, come get me when you're ready," Sakura informed the two, before making a hasty exit.

She sat on the floor just outside the mirror, her skirts spread around her as she waited. Time dragged on, and soon her eyes began to droop as she struggled to stay awake, but it was all too much for her.

She had dealt with so much that day, and the emotional twister she had ridden hadn't fully settled yet. Her body lulled itself into sleep, as the only sounds she heard were her own heartbeats and the echoes right alongside them.

----------

Sakura woke faintly when she felt herself being picked up from the ground, but was immediately asleep while her body felt like it was floating.

She didn't so much as stir as she was placed into her bed again.

"Thank you again, Sakura," Naruto whispered to her dreaming form.

A smile spread across her face in her sleep in response, and she rolled over as the door closed behind him with a soft click.


	9. Bonds of Trust & Things Left Unsaid

**Author's Notes:** I am stunned with the response I have received lately. All your words of encouragement buoy up my spirits like nothing else can. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Here's hoping I can return the favor. Enjoy the next chapter. Until Next Time! Constructive criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: This is never going to end will it? Take a wild guess._

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Bonds of Trust & Things Left Unsaid **

Sakura rolled over in her bed and studied the light drifting in through the window. Her mind rushing through the events leading up to now in the blink of an eye, she tried to put everything in order.

_Itachi killed his entire clan, but Sasuke. Then he started collecting heirs as insurance, knowing no one would dare go against him lest he really did kill them. He's holding the lives of everyone over each other's heads. Even his own brother's…_

_I too am a piece in his collection, with hardly any more freedom than the servants he's fashioned the rest of them into._

_Naruto is free for the moment…no; Itachi is holding Hinata and her cousin's life over him._

She thought over Ino's words from the previous day. _The resistance is still holding. It sounds like one is forming within these very walls. Did Itachi not realize that one-time enemies would band together to fight against him? Even if they had been fighting amongst themselves not too long ago? _

_And what am I going to do? I didn't like Itachi before. I tolerated him out of respect, and because of the contract, but…can the contract with him still hold if my original fiancé still lives?_

She vividly recalled the time and concentration of healing said previous fiancé's wounds. _Although, at the rate that they're encountering each other I don't think that will become an issue. Hopefully the idiot doesn't try anything in his condition now. _

She frowned. _He'd probably try anyway. _

Muttering to herself, Sakura rolled herself out of bed and dressed more readily for the remainder of the day. She snatched her medical kit from beneath her bed, having found it there when she had returned to her room the night before, and made her way out the door. As she walked she thought of Naruto and Hinata.

_They're so lucky. Even Ino and Shikamaru have had everything work out for them. Granted, neither pair is in the ideal situation they had hoped to be, but still…_

"Where's _my_ happy ending?" She hissed, punching at a wall as she passed by. She was startled when the force opened another hidden stairwell in the wall. She stood blinking at it for a moment before entering through without a second thought. She followed seemingly endless halls, always heading down, familiarity leaking through her every step of the way.

She ended in front of a door she partially recognized as having burst through it not even twenty-four hours ago. "Well, I'll be," she whispered in astonishment. She eased the door open with long-time practice to meet several startled faces, all immediately on their guard.

"How did you get back down here?" Ino asked sharply.

"Misplaced anger," Sakura replied with a shrug. "And if I recall correctly, you were the one who dragged me here in the first place."

Ino stood where she was, gaping like a fish out of water.

Sakura turned to the person seated next to her. "How's the patient today?"

Shikamaru sighed in exasperation. "You're a determined one, aren't you?" He mumbled to himself, before replying. "From the look of things, the same as when you left yesterday."

Sakura nodded, "Good," as Naruto stepped out from the door in which said patient was resting. He looked at her and smiled.

"Hello Princess, You're here earlier than I thought."

Sakura raised a delicate eyebrow at him. "Really?"

Naruto shrugged in comment. "You should go in and take a look at him."

A trace of worry laced her words. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Naruto shrugged again, grinning broadly. "See for yourself."

A concerned frown crossed Sakura's face as she entered through the door Naruto held open for her alone. Ino made to follow, but Shikamaru held her back with a sharp shake of his head.

"But-!"

"Leave them alone."

She growled in frustration, but didn't push it any further, choosing instead to plop herself down next to him.

Sakura's footsteps faltered when she entered the room.

There stood her patient attempting to pull on a shirt while gingerly trying not to use his right arm, the splint tied tightly to it keeping him off balance. Sakura sighed and walked quietly up to him; she pulled the shirt over his head and guided his arm through its sleeve gently. _And they say I'm stubborn._

"You shouldn't be moving around you know," Sakura scolded lightly.

Sasuke froze at the sound of her voice, and didn't turn around.

"What? Were you expecting me to be Naruto? I'm sorry to disappoint you." She wasn't sure why her tone was coming out much harsher than she intended, but she couldn't stop it either. She waited several moments, but he didn't respond, and she ignored the echoes resounding in her heart, but finally relented a little. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine," his answer came cold, short, and quick. He still refused to look at her.

Her face fell. "Good," her hollow tone sounded dead even to her own ears. She felt her chest constrict. _I need air. Now._ She turned to leave.

"So you know now?" Sasuke's voice finally reached her ears in more than a one-syllable answer.

She halted in mid-step, but didn't turn around either. "Yes."

Deafening silence followed, and Sakura closed her eyes to listen to the echoes that couldn't be heard by anyone else but herself.

_Fear. Confusion. Hope. Curiosity. Anger_. Everything was such a blur and changing so rapidly that she could barely keep up long enough to recognize half of them.

She stepped carefully and tentatively. "I know now why you never said a word, and I'm sorry that I never came looking for you…Ino was right."

The echoes changed subtly. _Regret…Betrayal._

"Are you going to tell him?" Sasuke's voice bit back at her.

Sakura whirled around, aghast. "Why would I ever-? How could you possibly think I would do something like that?"

Sasuke's voice was bitter. "You're _his_ fiancée now. Why wouldn't you?"

Sakura felt her blood begin to boil in indignation, and she let her temper go unhampered. "Because, in case you didn't get it through your head the first time I said it, I love _you_ Sasuke. _You_."

He snorted in disbelief.

Sakura marched over to her first fiancé furious, and whirled him around. He was now facing her, but still refusing to meet her eyes. She stared up into his face, anger and rejection alighting her every features.

"Do you think I'm happy about it? That I want this? I died inside that day! And now here you are, alive, and I can't do a damn thing! Do you have any idea what that's like? To not be able to do a thing, but stand by and watch?"

Sasuke looked her in the eyes for the first time since they had been reunited, and Sakura nearly stumbled back from the glare he threw at her, hatred swirling in his dark eyes.

"Yes. I do," his voice was tight with barely concealed rage.

Sakura winced internally, recalling exactly what he was referring to, but continued on, fueled on by her own growing emotions.

"Don't think you're the only one affected by that."

"Why does it concern you?"

"It concerns everyone Sasuke!" She gestured toward the shut door, not realizing that their voices were carrying beyond it. "Take a good look at what Itachi's doing to everyone! To you!"

He glared at her again. "I'm fine."

"You were almost dead!" Sakura's voice raised another octave, her voice heard by everyone in the adjoining room, and much louder than she had intended to be. Tears finally sprung to her eyes, and her voice came out nearly in a whisper as she spoke to the floor. "I thought you were dead. For so long…and now that I know your not…" The tears sprang forth freely, sliding down her cheeks like crystallized stars. "I fell in love with you when we were six years old. Six years old Sasuke!"

She raised her eyes again to look back at a startled Sasuke. "I knew we were to marry one day and I was so happy. I even thought that you might love me too one day. But…" her gaze fell to her hands as they wrung against each other from far too long suppressed emotions. "…I was right all along. Fairytales are just stories. They never come true. There's no such thing as a happy ending after all…"

The silence between them was thicker than before.

She tried to wipe her face dry in vain, as she stood before him, forlorn and lost. She didn't meet his eyes again, but could feel him staring at her as silent as ever. "I'm sorry to have bothered you," she apologized quietly. "Just forget that I was even here."

She turned and ran out the door, slamming it behind her. She stood with her back against the door long enough to trust her voice for a moment. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," she managed to get out before trudging across the shocked room and heading toward the exit.

"_Are_ you going to tell Itachi anything?" A voice from behind Sakura asked.

She whirled around with a glare to match Sasuke's and yelled at the room's occupants. "Just how stupid do all of you think I am?" With that she finally fled through the door, feeling the echoes of_ Regret _and_ Remorse_ pulse through her.

Someone whistled in the room Sakura had just ran from. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I think they're a lot more alike than everyone gives them credit for."

----------

"Let me get this straight. You want me to stay engaged to Itachi?" An incredulous Sakura asked Naruto several days later.

Sakura had rarely come out of her room unless it was to keep Hinata company, or forcefully eat her evening meal with the man she was starting to get sick at seeing the sight of. Naruto had finally managed to coax her into talking to him that late afternoon with a plea to see his own fiancée afterwards. Reluctantly she had agreed, for Hinata's benefit she assured herself, and since she personally didn't really have anything against Naruto himself.

First, however, Naruto had managed to convince her to follow him out to the old training grounds to talk first, insisting that she needed the fresh air. And as Sakura was growing increasingly tired of staring at the same four walls constantly she had agreed to go along.

"Yes," Naruto replied, happy that she understood him so well thus far.

"Why would I want to?" Sakura asked, dumbfounded, since, as far as she knew, she still was engaged to Itachi, although, that area had become increasingly gray over the past several weeks.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "You used to love him. Bring back those feelings from memory."

Sakura froze and looked at Naruto unblinkingly. "What?"

"You know, pretend. Act," Naruto tried to clarify.

"No, no, the first part," Sakura corrected him. She looked at Naruto like she had never seen him before. "You think I love Itachi?"

"Well," Naruto scratched his cheek in confusion. "Yes, or at least you must have at one point. Didn't you?"

"Never," Sakura explained exasperatedly. _What is with everyone here? Is there something that I'm not getting across to them all?_

Naruto frowned at her. "Then why are you marrying him?"

Sakura avoided his eyes and studied the faded target still attached to a tree near her, memories flashing as fast as the small knife-like instruments that were thrown at it. "Because I have to."

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not particularly, but I know you won't drop it unless I give you an explanation, right?"

"Pretty much."

Sakura sighed heavily and dropped down in the moss around her, again not caring about the mess she would look like later with leaves and duff sticking to her navy blue dress. She closed her eyes, and leaned her head against a trunk behind her. "Sasuke never told you?"

She heard Naruto plop down onto a nearby rock. "He doesn't talk about much of anything, much less the past."

Sakura laughed not unkindly once. "Why can I find that so easy to believe?" She could almost hear the wide grin that must have been plastered all over Naruto's face. She opened her eyes and watched the brilliant array of leaves above her, scattered sunlight filtering through to decorate whatever it could reach, and began.

"My kingdom is small compared to most. It's nestled up against the sea in the West, the water stretching on for miles in both directions. The sun sets over its waters every day in an amazing mass of colors…Because of its position, it is a very strategic place to reach other kingdoms and has many ports in which to trade from nearly every corner of the world. 'Small but rich with diversity,' my father always says. 'The Pearl of the World.'

"Needless to say, with how often every kingdom has been fighting each other over the last several generations, my kingdom, which has always tried to remain neutral, was about to be drawn into the horrors of it all. We're too small and peaceful to have a large enough army to fight most other kingdoms off. So, my family decided to strike an alliance with a larger, stronger kingdom. This was done through the usual way, a contract with an arranged marriage.

"Being the sole child, naturally, I was the prize. My father, with the aide of his advisors, made the alliance with the Uchiha kingdom. Mother and I traveled here when I was six to sign and finalize the contract, and in the process introduce me to the Uchiha royal family. As you know, the King and Queen had two sons, and it had not been completely decided upon who I was to share the contract with.

"I met Sasuke, fell in love almost immediately, and declared it loudly as we were leaving. Which I am sure you and everyone heard the other day."

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. He hadn't been able to help it with how loud she had shouted, but Sakura didn't comment or notice.

"You know how the story followed. Itachi murdered the Uchiha's, apparently, but the contract still held. With Sasuke being dead, as we assumed, I was now promised to Itachi. He allowed us to remain in relative peace for twelve years, but soon he began to demand that he collect on 'his payment' for his protection all those years." She looked over at Naruto to see him raise his eyebrows at her in surprise.

"Oh yes," she assured him. "He kept his end of the bargain. He's held off other kingdoms from trying to conquer us the entire time."

Naruto snorted in disbelief. "So he figured out a way to hold something over your kingdom's head without resorting to violence. How nice."

"It leads to the same end," Sakura muttered detached. "We're all caught up in his web of control. One way or another."

Sakura furrowed her brows together. "Sasuke really never told you any of this before?"

Naruto shrugged. "He might have, vaguely. He doesn't mention the past much. He can't forget it, but…." He trailed off.

"Typical," Sakura mumbled. Her gaze darkened. "And now, if Itachi ever finds out that I know about his past he'll kill Sasuke." Her fists clenched involuntarily; no matter how infuriated she was with him, her body seemed to have a mind of its own.

Naruto noticed. "…You really love him don't you?"

Sakura studied her hands and then placed them in her lap, trying to relax them and give her palms a chance to rid themselves of the gouges from her fingernails. "I always have," she replied without hesitation. "And I'll do just about anything to prove it."

"Good luck with that," Naruto flashed a grin at her.

"Thanks," she replied sarcastically.

"And here's another one of those chances to prove it," Naruto said as he looked at something behind her.

"What?" Sakura asked, confused. She followed his gaze down the path that they had traversed to arrive in the secluded spot, and stood up in alarm. "Sasuke?!"

Sure enough, the very same person who seemed to be the topic of most conversations lately was trudging through the leaves and brush in a somewhat unsteady motion towards them. His head jerked up when he heard Sakura's voice and immediately looked like he regretted that he was there.

Sakura, who had still been refusing to feel the echoes since their last encounter, had never sensed his approach. She also hadn't been down to check up on him the entire time as well. Tsunade would have scolded her uproariously had she ever known, but Sakura was allowing her stubborn pride to get in the way.

But of course, that hadn't stopped her mind from fretting and worrying about him every time she allowed her mind to relax slightly. "What are you doing?! You shouldn't be up and moving around like this yet! You'll strain the stitches and re-open everything!" She scolded him, anxiety overriding her obstinate pride, and her barriers crashing around her in the process.

The look on Sasuke's face was priceless to Naruto. It flushed in embarrassment as he frantically searched for a scathingly reply or reasonable-sounding excuse. Naruto smirked. "Yes teme, just what are you doing out here?" knowing full well exactly why Sasuke had ventured so far out there.

The glare he received in return only increased Naruto's smugness and meaningful look. Then he dropped it and threw his close comrade a serious gaze. "Itachi did a number on you last time." He crossed his arms across his chest and planted himself in front of Sasuke's immobile form. "You should really take the Princess's advice and relax."

"Speaking of which," Sakura interceded. "What was that all about?" Naruto and Sasuke looked at Sakura in puzzlement, but she directed her question toward Naruto. "You once mentioned that every time Itachi and Sasuke meet, Sasuke tries to kill Itachi."

"We try to keep Sasuke away from him, but it proves difficult at times." Naruto sidestepped her question. "He's fixated on revenge."

A mixture of pity and exasperation flooded through Sakura. "Oh Sasuke…" She sighed.

Sasuke ignored her unwanted look of pity and glared at Naruto. "It's getting dark dobe. The meeting is about to start."

"Hai, hai." Naruto pushed himself up and off the rock, knowing that tone all too well. It clearly screamed 'Drop it if you value your life.' "I'm coming."

Sakura was now studying Sasuke, scrutinizing him carefully. "Who helped you get here Sasuke? You're going to need help getting back you know."

An angry blush flushed across Sasuke's face.

Naruto didn't need the Gift of Sakura's to feel the waves of _Embarrassment_ pulsate off him.

Once again a wicked grin flashed across Naruto's face. "Well then Princess, I leave him in your capable hands." He took off and was gone in a flash down the beaten path, waving his hand behind him. "See you there, teme!"

"What?" Sakura's jaw dropped open. "Hey- Naruto! Wait!"

He was gone with only the leaves whispering in his wake to mark his presence.

She glanced at Sasuke. He was glaring down the path murderously. She sighed. _Well, there's no avoiding it now_. "Come on Sasuke. I'll help you." She tried to brush off her skirts, preparing to head back.

"I don't need your help," he replied back in such a cold, scathing voice that anyone else would have took off in the opposite direction. Fast.

But Sakura knew better. She had dealt with difficult patients before. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, smiling at him innocently. "I'd like to see you try and get back on your own."

She struggled to keep her smile from spreading when she was filled with echoes of _Anger, Frustration_, and _Embarrassment_. She breathed in deeply and let it out silently, finally releasing her own frustrations and settling somewhere between relief and understanding. "Stop being stubborn," she continued as she walked right up to him.

He tried to flinch away from her, but he accidentally jerked his right arm, and winced in pain. She grasped on to his good arm determinedly with gentle but firm motions and guided it over her own shoulders. "Lean on me," she encouraged.

His frustrated blush increased and the sour look on his face deepened, but allowed himself to put some of his weight on to her.

Sakura took heart from his actions, knowing that he wouldn't have even considered following her instructions if he hadn't been feeling the throbbing ache in his body so strongly. "Now was that so painful?"

They carefully started back down the path together, Sakura watching the ground itself to keep an eye out for possible hazards. It was silent except for their movements for a moment.

Then Sakura plucked up her courage and spoke the words that had been floating around in her head for a while now. "You know Sasuke," she started quietly. "You _can_ trust me." She put her heart into her words, hoping that he would believe her, if no one else would. "I swear I'll never say a word to Itachi."

Again there was silence and Sakura felt her heart begin to drop once more until-

"I know."

Sakura's heart pounded fiercely in her chest. He believed her! But then- "Why?"

"…"

"I'll never leave you again," she promised in a whisper.

He didn't answer her with words, but his grip tightened ever so slightly around her.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment and focused in on the echoes, listening for a moment before a quiet smile broke out across her face.


	10. Near & Far

**Author's Notes:** I highly apologize again and again for the month long wait. In my defense, things have been a little crazy around here the last few weeks. We had two deaths in the family, ten days apart from the other. Both were unexpected and quite sudden. I have also had the hardest time writing this particular chapter with a serious amount of writer's block. However, that hasn't stopped me from writing the _remaining_ chapters. One of which is completely finished, the others are about halfway done. Once again, I apologize for the delay. Please enjoy the chapter. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed. 

_Disclaimer: I claim ownership of the story plot, but not this story's characters. They, unfortunately, are not mine to claim rights to.

* * *

_

**Chapter Nine: Near & Far**

Bit by slow bit they made their way back through the woods and up to the wooden door that led into the back entrance of the kitchens. By now the sun had all but set and the soothing sounds of twilight began to gather around the pair.

Sakura was lost in her own thoughts, wishing that the moment would never end if this was as close as they would ever be, but as the door came closer she knew what was to be expected. So before she could feel the sting of being shrugged off she decided to make the first move.

They stopped in front of the door, just before the step up and through the door, and she made the move to lift his arm off from around her shoulder, but was startled to find that Sasuke wasn't relenting his grip on her. _Either he's really in a lot more pain and feeling weaker than he's willing to let us know, or…could he-? Would he even-?_

She glanced at his face, curious to see him staring determinedly before him, avoiding her gaze but incapable of preventing the slight coloring on his cheeks from appearing.

_Well, if that's what he wants. _She smiled secretly to herself. She wasn't going to push him if he didn't want to. So she reached out her free hand and grasped the door handle, turned it and opened it wide to allow the two of them inside.

They were greeted with astonished silence.

Not one person in the room could make a sound, but every person had his or her eyes fixated on the pair before them. Naruto was beside himself with a wide, satisfied grin making no attempt to hide itself.

Sakura looked at Sasuke in a questioning manner, and he merely made the slightest tug to indicate where he wanted them to sit; a pair of unoccupied chairs in the back right hand corner of the haphazard circle. Acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but struggling to hide the small smile on her own face Sakura eased him into his chair before sitting down neatly beside him.

There was continued silence for another moment, until Shikamaru broke it awkwardly. "Right," he started breaking his fixated gaze and glancing around the room. "Now that we're all finally here. Let's begin."

Everyone sat still and awkward with the apprehension that seemed to permeate the room with Sakura's presence, as they threw her furtive glances. Eventually a few people relaxed once Sasuke reached out to grasp Sakura's hand lightly and holds it, trying to reduce her stress. She blushed madly, but his face was nearly as calm as ever with only the faintest of colorings gracing his cheeks.

"The only thing we're really lacking is information," Shikamaru explained. "We've gathered as much as we have been able to since we've all been here, but even the Resistance is sketchy on certain details about the beginnings. Sasuke has told us what is useful from his point of view, but we need an outside view as well. None of us were all too interested in each other's concerns at the time except when to next make war on them."

"Where are we going to find a source like that?" Kiba asked, dumbfounded. "Our parents didn't care at all at the time, and we were all too young to even completely understand what was going on."

Sakura felt a slight pressure on her hand and she glanced over to see Sasuke still staring right ahead, not catching her eye. Instead, she followed his gaze to see Naruto and him seeming to pass something on unspoken to each other. Then Naruto looked at her intently, trying to convey the same message without words.

She could only look at him blankly wondering what in heaven's name they were trying to ask her. And then it hit her. The constant weight in her inner pocket suddenly seemed to double and she realized how she could help, but at what cost to her own privacy.

Her journal was just that. _Her_ journal. It contained more useful information to the Resistance then anyone could possibly imagine, but it also contained her personal feelings and thoughts. It was like a trusted friend that she could share the world with, and know that it would never speak a word aloud. Was she ready to let the world know?

Sakura broke her gaze with Naruto and looked down at her lap, her eyesight gliding to her right to see her pale slender fingers entwined with Sasuke's even paler ones. _I can do this. I have to do this. I want to do this._ She convinced herself until she found the strength of mind to speak up, squeezing Sasuke's hand unconsciously in an effort to draw strength of heart to survive the embarrassment she knew would follow.

"I have one," Sakura's calm, strong voice interrupted an ensuing argument that was beginning to form.

Once more all eyes turned toward her and Sakura sat a little straighter in her chair, determined to follow through.

Ino snorted. "Really? And just who is this 'reliable source?'"

Sakura looked eyes with Ino. "One that has been with me for a very long time."

Ino glared back. "Just how long?"

"Nearly all my life."

Ino's gaze narrowed in disbelief. "If it's one of your servants, that's going to be a bit impossible."

"Ino's right," Kiba interjected. "We can't bring anyone else here. _You_ shouldn't even really be here."

"Thanks," Sakura muttered sarcastically. "Between the two of you I feel as welcome as a plague."

"They do have a point though," Shikamaru interrupted before the sparks could fly between the three. "It would be impossible to bring anyone here before tomorrow from your home country. Reliable source or not."

"Tomorrow? What's going on tomorrow?" Sakura's brows furrowed, and tensions tightened slightly.

"There's a meeting for the Resistance tomorrow night," Sasuke explained evenly. "Why don't you just show them your 'source' before someone gets hurt." He said to pacify her and everyone else. His face showed that he didn't care one way or the other, but his reassuring grip rid Sakura of a sharp retort.

She dug into her pocket and drew out her faithful old journal, and set it on her lap. "I've recorded everything in here from the time I first learned to write," she explained to the group. "It goes through all the events leading up until today; facts, rumors, everything. I give you permission to read through it and take what you need from it, though I do request that anything take out is on a copy-only basis. I wish my journal to be returned to me in the same condition I am lending it out in."

Everyone's eyes began darting from Sakura's face to the old and worn book lying across her skirts. Sakura could feel a flush beginning to form across her cheeks. "I understand that you have no real reason to trust me right now, and for all you know I could have fabricated every bit of information in here." She skimmed her journal's cover with her fingertips protectively. "But as I have stated before, you really don't have any other choice, and I have no reason to trust any of you as well. I have not been involved in this Resistance; I didn't know it even truly existed anywhere but _outside_ these walls.

She looked up from her lap and turned to each member of the group in turn, holding his or her eyes with a level of determination and pride that equaled if not surpassed theirs. "However, I am here now. And I am willing to help in anyway possible if you could just try and trust me. Believe me when I say that we are all in the say spot in one form or another, and that this shouldn't and won't stay the same for much longer. Things need to change. For the better."

"Nice little speech there, Princess," Naruto grinned at her with shining eyes.

Sakura flushed clear to her hair, she hadn't meant to do that. She wanted nothing more than to run from the room and hide her face underneath a pillow for the next decade or so. The only thing keeping her anchored to her seat was that no one was laughing, and Sasuke's hand was still holding hers to reassuringly. And she'd rather face Itachi and his entire force on her own than break that contact.

"Well then, let's see this 'star witness' of yours and test just how reliable it is," Shikamaru broke in, ever the peacemaker, but with a shadow of a smile on his otherwise cautious features.

Hesitatingly Sakura relinquished her grip on her journal as she placed it in Shikamaru's waiting hand. He skimmed through it at first almost disinterestedly, but with more focus and intensity the more he read. Noticing his sudden enthusiasm, Chouji peeked over his friends' shoulder to read along, before sending a surprised glance over at Sakura. "You're certainly honest in what you write about, aren't you?"

Sakura caught the rest of the meaning in his words. Her face flushed in embarrassment; inwardly mortified at what they were reading, but trying to pacify herself with the knowledge of how much she was contributing with the amount of facts contained inside its pages. "I had no reason to hide what I thought or felt from myself," Sakura responded evenly.

"And you never worried about someone getting their hands on it?" Shikamaru questioned as he passed it on amongst the group.

"In my own home, no," Sakura responded. "My parents witnessed everything that I went through; they probably knew more than I did. For a while they were free to express anything they wished to say in front of me. I don't think they were entirely aware that I could still hear just about everything that was going on around me." Sakura felt a flash of the inner darkness that had consumed her after 'the news,' but shook it off. "By then, I had heard much more than a young girl was supposed to know, and I had become very skilled at listening." She grinned almost mischievously to herself. "Which I am sure most of you have picked up on in the short time we have all known each other."

"Obviously," Kiba scoffed, but grinned good-humouredly all the same.

Sasuke had his eyes closed, but a smirk was present on his face as he observed everything around him, inwardly proud at Sakura's unwavering ability to stand on her own. Naruto sharing the feeling in his own way, and also pleased to see that everyone slowly seemed to be coming to an agreement and working together instead of against each other.

The journal was passed from hand to hand, each person taking time out of their scanning to steal a glance at Sakura of incredulity, before shaking their heads and moving on.

Sakura tried her hardest not to squirm under scrutiny, but couldn't help but fidget with her hands, Sasuke finally having to take both of them into his one good one to calm her down.

And as each person finished reading, they joined in on the discussion of what was to come next, especially the plans for the following day.

"I think Sakura should go," Ino spoke up, refusing to meet Sakura's astounded face. "To the Resistance meeting with Sasuke and Naruto." She clarified. "It sounds like she knows as much as the rest of us, if not more. She could be very useful to them, especially if she takes her journal with her."

Sakura felt the immediate trepidation course through her veins like a sleeping draught, immediate and seeming to reach every part of her body simultaneously. Her face flushed an even darker shade at the mortifying thought of the entire world knowing her every thought and feeling.

Sensing her discomfort, Sasuke spoke up. "Just having Sakura there will be enough of an aid, as she experienced everything first hand, and technically the journal is a second hand testimony."

Shikamaru nodded in acquiescence. "If she is willing to go, it would help immensely. How are you with the plan, Naruto?"

Naruto's enthusiasm was almost tangible. "I'm ready whenever those two are ready to go."

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, looking at her with the full intensity of his midnight-colored eyes.

Sakura felt her breath catch somewhere in her throat and her heart pulsate erratically. _Can I do this? Join the Resistance as a member instead of a by-standing informant?_ "…Yes. I will go," Sakura made sure to keep her voice even and level as her heart pounded in her rib cage.

_There's no looking back now. _

_----------_

"Are you really sure this is okay?" Sakura asked for what she knew must be the hundredth time.

Naruto looked at her almost exasperatingly. "Princess-"

"Sakura," she interrupted.

"Sakura," Naruto relented with the correction. "You'll be fine. We won't let anyone harm you."

Sakura bit her lip. "That's not what I'm nervous about." She fidgeted with her hooded cloak as she stood watching Sasuke and Naruto ready two horses.

"Then what?" Naruto asked, his brows furrowed, finally stopping and giving her his full attention.

Sakura darted a quick glance at Sasuke, and Naruto's eyes followed. He knew that Sakura didn't approve of Sasuke going with them to the meeting for the Resistance, what with his injuries still healing, but there was no way of talking Sasuke out of it. They would have better luck convincing his horse not to take him for all the good it would give them.

"I'll be fine Sakura," Sasuke stated shortly, but not unkindly. "And he will never know. He left for a reason of his own just after you ate remember?"

Sakura felt her heart jolt at how well he had pinpointed her troubles. "And you are sure that the Resistance will accept me?"

"We're not going to let anyone hurt you if that's what you're asking," Naruto assured her.

"Are you satisfied now?" Sasuke inquired, looking her full in the eyes.

_No,_ Sakura wanted to say, but instead she just nodded her head. Naruto swung himself up and onto his horse. "I'll check to make sure the coast is clear. You two get on yours." He trotted out of the stable, cloaked in the darkness of the night.

"Ours?" Sakura asked, confused. "There's only one horse. Where's the other?" She looked at Sasuke, tilting her head in question.

A light blush spread evenly across his cheeks and he awkwardly looked away from her puzzled eyes. "We'll be sharing mine. The less horses missing the better, and…just in case."

Sakura's eyes went wide in understanding. _Just in case he can't handle control of the horse because of his arm._ "Good idea," she smiled. She slid her foot into the stir-up, taking care to keep her dress clear and swung herself up into the saddle without another hesitation. She sat sidesaddle, hooking one leg over the saddle-piece for support, and once she had balanced herself she held her hand back out for Sasuke.

He looked at her in surprise then his gaze narrowed. "Don't give me that look," Sakura scolded with a gentle smile still on her face. "I don't want you straining that arm anymore than you should, and you won't need to if I help you up." She winked at him. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes in response, but didn't argue further. He grasped her hand firmly and she leaned back as he pulled himself up into the saddle behind her. Once settled he reached around her slim waist and took hold of the reins before guiding the horse out and into the night.

"What took you so long?" Naruto grinned from the edge of the forest.

Sasuke glared in return. "Let's just go." The two encouraged their horses onto a forest path at a relatively comfortable speed, knowing the way all through memory.

Sakura herself was highly conscious of the close proximity of her and Sasuke. She was tucked into his embrace, mindful of the splint, so closely that she could feel the warmth of his body through both of their clothes. She felt herself blushing at the solidness of his chest and how right it felt to be cradled there. The wind whistled past with the dark indistinguishable shapes of trees and brush that rushed by, and Sakura couldn't think of anywhere else she would rather be at the moment.

Tentatively she wrapped her own arms around his waist, under his cloak and held on, encouraged when she felt the echoes of _Surprise _and _Contentment._ She leaned closer and could hear the beating of his heart, one that matched her own, fluttering with mixed emotions, and simply reveled in the smell that enshrouded her senses. It felt like…home.

All too soon it felt like to Sakura, they began to slow down and she struggled to pull herself out of her dreamlike stupor.

They were arriving.

She could now begin to see the warm orange glow of fires burning in a small clearing just ahead, and Sakura reluctantly loosened her hold and sat straighter. She needed to look proper-like for this, it was far too important to make a good first impression right now. But she didn't miss the resounding echo that mirrored her own feelings, and it eased her resurfacing nerves. Marginally.

The dark shapes around her finally merged into distinguishable shapes of trees and moving figures again as they drew nearer to the dancing flames. Sakura felt the butterflies in her stomach increase ten-fold as she began to make out the physical appearances of those they were meeting.

They pulled up short just behind Naruto and the two princes effortlessly slid of their horses, Sakura taking her time so as not to accidentally catch her skirt on anything and reveal much more than information to this crowd of strangers.

And then Sakura suddenly found that she couldn't move forward. Her feet had grown roots and she felt that if she were to move, the uprooting would kill her. Her mind argued that it was better to sit put in the darkness of the shadows and merely observe.

_Don't get involved. __I shouldn't get involved. I mean, who am I kidding? I have no idea what I'm even doing. I don't even know if I should actually be here. I'm risking everything! If Itachi ever found out that I was here, he would harm my parents, my kingdom, everyone! _She looked up, startled, to see a hand reaching out toward her. She followed the hand up the arm and to the face of the body it was attached to. _Sasuke_. Her heart panged once against her chest. And suddenly it hit her that she wasn't the only one risking everything. 

Every single person here was risking not only their own lives, but also the lives of everyone they knew to secure something infinitely more precious, and longer lasting.

Shakily she reached out her own hand grasped Sasuke's firmly, placing all of her trust in him as he pulled her forward into the torch light. She clung close to his side for support as he in turn rested against her to support what his body was still not quite ready to do on its own just yet. They both had their cloaks securely tied around their necks, Sakura for familiarity and comfort, Sasuke to hide his injuries from the group; he wasn't about to appear weak and incapable in front of the Resistance.

Sakura felt her blood rush through her veins with increasing rapidity, as she knew her part in this was coming to a head, and drew upon the strength of _Calm Serenity_ Sasuke was echoing out.

"And who have you brought with you, Uchiha Sasuke?" A strong feminine voice called out from the half-shadowed group.

Sakura immediately stiffened in fear, but Sasuke spoke out clearly and evenly. "Haruno Sakura, she wishes to help us with her inside knowledge."

"Haruno? You are aware that that particular kingdom has allied itself with the target of our mission?" The voice continued mildly.

"My kingdom made a contract with the Uchiha kingdom a long time ago, one that we have both held to faithfully. They offered us protection in the time when all kingdoms were warring against each other," Sakura spoke up unsure at first, but with more solidity as she continued, irritated by the jab.

"And what did the Haruno kingdom offer in return?" The feminine voice asked with the knowledge that it knew exactly what the bargaining price had been.

"Me," Sakura stated firmly.

Murmurs swept faintly through the crowd.

"In the usual way, I assume?"

"Yes."

"And who were you promised to marry?"

Sakura hesitated for a fraction of a second. "The youngest heir, Uchiha Sasuke."

The murmurs increased in volume.

"And now?"

Sakura blanched. "The only _known_ surviving Uchiha," she emphasized and appreciative chuckles were heard from a few.

"And you are not willing to uphold your promise to wed Itachi?"

Sakura scowled at the hidden voice. "I was, until I found out that my original contract was still feasible, making the current situation null and void."

"So what do you wish to do now?" The voice asked in an unrecognizable emotion.

"Keep my first promise," Sakura answered back immediately.

"How?"

"Anyway I can," she continued unfalteringly.

"I do believe you have grown since the last time I saw you, Sakura," the voice radiated pride and delight, and a hooded figure stepped forward into the center of the group, shoving her hood back in the process.

As a mass of blonde hair and bright eyes met Sakura's face, all she could do in return was stare in shock. "Tsunade-…?"

"I would expect nothing less from one of my star pupils," a smile gracing her youthful features.

At Tsunade's acknowledgement, the Resistance immediately felt their fears shunned aside and welcomed this newcomer with open arms. The meeting continued without further interruptions, and Sakura felt herself drawn further into the discussion than she could have ever dreamed. She was fascinated by the amount of determination, willpower, and information that had all collected in one place, and for the first time, really began to believe that it was possible to bring Itachi and his reign down.

As the meeting drew to its close, Tsunade made her way over to Sakura, Shizune not too far behind, and embraced her bright-eyed pupil. "Your parents are proud of you," Tsunade whispered.

Sakura pulled away from Tsunade and looked at her in shocked puzzlement. Her teacher smiled fondly, "You know how well news travels along the right lines. They've heard about your involvement and are prouder than they could ever say." She looked intently into Sakura's eyes. "Your mother is especially happy for you, in finding what you were you looking for." Her eyes darted to Sasuke and back in the briefest of movements.

Sasuke was flushing slightly, but looked pleased for Sakura nonetheless, as Sakura felt a broad smile light up her face. "Thank you," she whispered back, overcome by all the emotions racing through her system.

And then suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Sakura caught a sharp movement angled in their direction. Her heart caught in her throat as she realized that it was directed at one of them, particularly her and Sasuke. She whirled in an exact movement to counter the incoming force; drawing out a dagger she had hidden away in her cloak as the sound of clashing metal rang out and rebounded off the surrounding treetops.


	11. A Crimson Stain Upon A Red Rose

**Author's Notes: **-ack!- Once again I take forever and a day to update, but now that both homework, finals, and school are over for the next couple of weeks (coupled with the fact that my internet is being cooperative at the moment) I am uploading this chapter now! It's _slightly_ longer than usual which I hope will appease a few, but I know that's a long shot and dwindling hope. I apologize for the wait. Enjoy Chapter Ten! Until Next Time!

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto, but the Kakashi-sensei plushy in my room, which I bought fair and square with my own hard earned money. But one day…

* * *

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**Chapter Ten: A Crimson Stain Upon a Red Rose & A White Carnation**

The resulting sound of the clash echoed off the surrounding forest trees, alerting everyone's attention to Sakura and her attacker, all of whom were immediately on the defensive.

The gathering instantly pulled out there on vast array of weapons to defend themselves, but stopped warily when they saw they were unneeded. Sakura was holding her own just fine.

She had whirled at just the right moment and met the powerful force on equal par with her attacker, her stance firmly planted and unyielding.

The silence that followed the resonance rung louder than the attack as everyone held his or her breaths in anticipation; Sakura's fierce glare was unwavering as she stared into the shadows of the hooded figure before her.

"Good," a deep familiar voice filled the silence. "You've kept up with your training." The cloaked figure pulled back suddenly and Sakura faltered for a fraction of a second before regaining her ground, now thoroughly confused before the person threw back his hood.

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Sure enough, her silver haired, masked teacher was standing before her; a smile as filled with pride as Tsunade's had been fixed on his face.

Upon recognizing the silver haired warrior either by face or by name the Resistance let out a sigh of relief and sheathed their weapons. Talk immediately sprung up again and some even came over to pat Sakura on the back for strength; she was too filled with surprise and elation to notice.

Kakashi darted a glance at Sakura's dark-haired companion. He had noticed Sasuke's immediate move to protect her the second he had noticed Kakashi's attack, but hadn't been able to follow through. It made him curious, but nonetheless…

Kakashi sighed. "I guess I have to approve of him, Sakura. Your parents will be happy to hear that your reunion is going well; they'll be grandparents in no time."

Sakura flushed from the root of her hair to the tips of her toes, she could almost feel the waves of heat pulsing off of her. "Kakashi-sensei…" she groaned, and glanced at Sasuke to see the look of frustration and embarrassment written all over his face. Tsunade and Shizune joined in on Kakashi's teasing laughter. Naruto wasn't too far behind.

Soon after, the meeting adjourned, and the trio found themselves heading back to the Uchiha estate. Sakura left behind a few tears with her partings since she wasn't sure when or if she would be seeing any of them again if things didn't follow through, but she took with her good news and well wishes from her parents and allies.

But above all she was more than happy to be sitting sidesaddle on Sasuke's horse once again.

Everything else seemed to flit out of her head as she snuggled in closer for that feeling of warmth and security she just couldn't seem to get enough of now. He had become so intoxicating to her already, and it had seemed like they had been riding together all their lives then just one night as he held her protectively against him. She reveled in security and bliss as she wished they would never reach that foreboding castle from her nightmares.

Her stomach seemed to be having the time of its life as felt like an entire colony of butterflies had taken up residence in her belly for good. Every inhale of breath he took in she sunk deeper against him, every exhale tickled the top of her head, and every beat of his heart echoed something deeper in hers. She was so caught up in her whirlwind of heightened senses and emotions that she began to wonder how much longer it would take before she burst.

The one thing that tacked her down solidly to Earth was the faintest echo of _Aggravation_ and _Irritation_ that were nearly buried beneath the one of _Bliss_.

Once again, all too soon it seemed to Sakura, the dark walls of stone rose up before her as they emerged from the thinning forest trees and brush. The ride back had been silent, but the three were now didn't dare speak aloud until the horses had been safely secured back in the stables without incident.

Every nerve alert they stole their way back behind the rough castle walls until the inviting sight of the earthy wooden door to the kitchen was just within reach. They breathed a quiet sigh of relief as they approached, but just before entering a warm hand encircled Sakura's thin wrist causing her to start.

"Sasuke," she scolded lightly. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She looked back at him and caught her breath at the look on his face. "What is it?" She asked, slightly alarmed.

Sasuke briefly looked at Naruto who took the hint and entered the kitchen's warm glow completely aware and eager to leave them alone. Not until Naruto shut it firmly behind him did Sasuke take his eyes of his friends retreating back.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Sakura's voice caused him to start this time, and he let go of her as if she had scalded him. The jerking motion causing his injury to throb, and he winced slightly. He scowled at his useless arm.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Sakura's medic training kicked in once more, overriding her other concerns.

"It's fine," he snapped, harsher than he had intended it to sound.

Sakura withdrew her own arms and clutched them to her chest tightly, firmly holding herself back as the slightest twinge of rejection swept through her system.

"I'm sorry."

Sakura looked at Sasuke's face, which was refusing to meet her own, in surprise.

"For what?" she asked, stunned.

"For not being able to protect you back at the camp," he gritted out between his teeth, the echoes that had been hidden during the ride springing up the forefront and Sakura felt things slide back into place.

"Don't worry about it Sasuke; you're still in no condition to be fighting anyone, and I can hold my own as you saw," she tried to soothe his self-loathing. "Besides, we weren't in any real danger to begin with, and Naruto and everyone else was there too. It was nothing."

Sasuke finally met her face as he looked into her eyes with intensity, Sakura's breath having caught in her throat. "What if no one _had_ been there besides us? What is they had been stronger than you? If we _had_ been in real danger I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it because of these stupid injuries, and-"

Sakura cut him off with a kiss.

She had done it on instinct. Something inside her broke to see him beating himself up over something he had no control over, and the only way to get him to stop had led her to no other logical conclusion. Arguing with him would have gotten nowhere; they were both to stubborn for their own good. The kiss seemed the only correct way to stop him, or at least, that's what they reasoning side of her head told her.

What she hadn't expected was the way her heart had seemed to stop when he froze in surprise and then restarted pounding-ly when he responded back with the same intensity and eagerness she realized she was giving in equal parts.

Her blood rushed through her veins so fast she could hear it, and her mind spun from the rapidity at which her heart seemed to pound in her chest, nearly begging to be set free.

Sakura's arms intuitively found their way around Sasuke's neck to draw him in closer, as his good arm encircled her with the same intention.

Her emotions swirled in such a vast array of colors, sounds, sights, and scents that she didn't know which way was up and which way was down, and found that she didn't care. _Nothing could be better than this_, was the only coherent thought running through her head.

After what felt like an eternity the two came up for air, and with her mind still heady said the words that she had sworn to herself long ago. "I love you Sasuke."

Her bright emerald eyes searched his midnight ones as he stared down at her for a very long time, the emotions and conflicts running through his head changing to rapidly for even a trace of an echo to reach her. Finally they seemed to have come to a decision.

"Sakura…," he began hesitantly. "Do you remember that day?"

"Which one?"

"The day you first came here?"

"Of course," Sakura answered with a gentle smile of nostalgia. "It's one that I'll never forget. Why bring it up now?"

"I remember my Mother telling me that someone very special was coming over that day. Someone who would change things for us in more ways than we could imagine."

Sakura looked at him in slight puzzlement, but anxious to hear every word.

"I didn't have the slightest idea of who she could possibly be talking about, but then I was introduced to you. My first impression of you was that you were annoying because you were a girl, and too quiet and shy to do anything."

Sakura felt her own sting of annoyance from his comment.

"But then it seemed like I would wake up each morning and wonder what we could do together that day. I realized I was having fun, and I began to not look forward to the day that you and your mother would be leaving. But that day came, and as I watched you about to join your mother in the carriage I tried to hide what I was feeling. And then you went and shouted out your love and promises and I could only gape at you in shock.

"Sure I had started to like you, but love was something that my parents shared with one another not me and some girl I liked to play with. Then that evening my Mother sat me down and explained the contract between our families and I couldn't believe my ears. I was going to be married to you one day! I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it at the time, but I do know that I didn't immediately scoff at the thought. Then…well, you know how the rest of the story follows…."

Sakura saw the shadow pass over his face in his remembrance, all too keenly aware of it herself. "I know," she whispered. "Better than you know. There is only one thing I have never written about in my journal," Sakura began. "I think I knew what was going to happen." She looked right into Sasuke's stunned eyes even though her legs wanted her to run; no one else outside of her parents knew the rest of the story.

"I have a Gift Sasuke. Something that has been passed down through my Mother's family for longer than they can remember; when we meet the one we're destined to be with…it creates a sort of…bond between the two.

She fidgeted with her hands. "From the instant our eyes first met I have been able to feel your Echoes."

Sasuke continued to stare at her, but his face was now masked by confusion and incredulity. "Call it a modern day fairytale I suppose, since it is actually a drop of faerie blood, but…I can always sense you. Whatever you are feeling at the time, and much more recently, where you are."

"What does this have to do with _him_?" Sasuke asked haltingly, disbelief still riddled throughout his system.

"I had a bad feeling about him from the moment I first met Itachi. I don't know why, I just did. And for the last few days leading up to my departure, I felt like this…storm was gathering just out of sight. It was at its worse the day I left and only worsened with each beat of the horses' hooves as we sped on home.

That night…" she drew in deep breath and closed her eyes as faint whispers of those intense emotions rushed through her veins. "I knew the instant something went wrong. I could feel the _Pain_ and _Horror_ right along with you. I couldn't think or feel anything else, and then suddenly…everything stopped, as efficiently as if someone had doused the only candle in a dark room. I knew you were gone, and it ripped my heart right out.

"…I don't remember much of what followed right after. I vaguely heard that Itachi had 'miraculously' survived. I didn't care," she spat out bitterly at the memories. "I still felt like I should have done something. That in some way it had been my fault because I hadn't warned someone, and the echoes I felt were just the lingering pain from the whole in my chest. Time passed and I drew out of the darkness, but any mention of you sent me right back and I would have to start all over again; guilt consuming me in torrents. One morning I finally came to the decision that I would do something about it, and I've been training to save lives ever since." She looked back into Sasuke's midnight-hued eyes with a fierce look.

"I _never_ suspected that you were alive. There were no rumors, no hints, nothing. If I _had_ known I would have come much sooner, or at the very least have delved deeper to find out the truth. I heard the rumors about Itachi, of course, but they were too horrifying to be true, and only increased the guilt." Unbidden tears seemed to course their way down Sakura's face. "If I had known. I would have stopped all of this. But my hands were tied! And then when they told me I had to uphold the contract with Itachi-!" Both Sakura and Sasuke's fists clenched involuntarily, and an aggressive smile spread across Sakura's face. "Let's just day that was the first day I was truly 'awake,' and not in a good way."

Sakura suddenly found herself crushed against the warm chest that she could never seem to get enough of by one arm, and her breath caught in her throat. "Sasuke-?"

"The last twelve years haven't been easy. I try my hardest to forget them every day, but there was one thought that gave me comfort…At least you and your mother had escaped before it happened. You were safe in your own home and away from this hell. Even though I knew that one day you might be drawn back here I prayed that you wouldn't because I didn't want you to experience all this. You were supposed to stay safe." His grip on her tightened, and Sakura smiled in relief.

"You do know that I can take care of myself, right? The encounter with Kakashi-sensei today should have shown you that," she added teasingly and soothingly to relax him.

"I'll admit that you've come a lot further than just _watching_ others train," he answered.

"Hey!" she exclaimed in indignation. "I'll have you know-"

This time it was Sasuke's turn to cut her off with a kiss of his own. "You'll have me know what?" He asked in between kisses. Sakura's only answer was to kiss back hungrily.

Once they had stopped for air once again, Sasuke broke the silence interlaced with their deep breathing. "What about me?"

Sakura looked at him in puzzlement.

"Your Gift," he clarified. "Does it only work one way?"

Sakura shook her head. "My Father gained it too after he married my Mother; it's passed on it two ways, birth and the wedding night." Sakura's face flushed at the thought, but couldn't seem to stop her imagination from gaining alarming pictures of herself and Sasuke together, in her head.

Sasuke merely looked thoughtful. "So I'll gain that ability too one day then, huh?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, willing her heart not to believe in the improbable. Sasuke in turn looked back at her in searing determination and she could feel the heat of his body pass through her like the sun opening out of the heavens. "Do you really want to marry _him_?" He asked.

"I never did," Sakura responded automatically, still trying to absorb just what in high heaven was going on. "My contract was with you because I love _you_ Sasuke."

"Then if and when this whole mess is taken care of, and _he_ is gone," Sasuke hesitated, but continued on. "Then would you still want to marry me?"

Sakura gaped at Sasuke like a fish out of water. She was utterly speechless. Seconds passed that felt like hours as Sasuke continued to look at her with increasing disappointment and wariness.

Then out of nowhere Sasuke felt himself tackled to the ground and felt a shooting pain travel through his body from his still healing injuries. He was about to snap at her when Sakura kissed him full on the lips in a fit of passion, breaking long enough to repeat, "Yes," over and over again until Sasuke recovered his shock and returned her fervor on par with his own.

---------

Time slipped by in both long drags and rapid flashes as Sakura continued going to both the Inner resistance and the Resistance meetings, and as the plans formalized and the dates set, she began to find herself spending almost every waking moment involved in some way, shape, or form. And every moment she wasn't doing that she was with Sasuke.

They had told everyone else the news of course, of which a lot of teasing has followed, but it was all kept forbiddingly secret and concealed.

Sakura was beyond elation when she allowed herself time to enjoy the feeling, but for the most part felt anxious, nervous, and a bit twitchy in anticipation.

Everyone was.

Sakura and Sasuke were finding it difficult to be away from each other at times, and had very nearly gotten caught by others at times. Naruto was the one who finally put his foot down, and said that if he couldn't be with Hinata all the time, then they had no right to rub it in his face.

That quieted them down some. Not much, but some.

But the fated day arrived, ready or not, and Sakura thought she would burst from all the tension in the air. Itachi had been around a lot lately, and Sakura felt like he was everywhere she went, watching her.

Sakura explained her feelings in a passing conversation with Kiba when she was sure Itachi was nowhere in sight or hearing, "It's almost like he knows were up to something."

Kiba snorted. "Don't be stupid. Everything's going to be fine. Nothing's going to go wrong; Itachi's reign will be over after tonight."

Sakura's gut told her otherwise no matter how much she fought it. Something just wasn't right, and it didn't ease her fears that Sasuke had grown more distant over the last few days. She knew he was nervous and anxious too, but nothing she said seemed to help, and it grew increasingly hard to find him as the hours had slipped by….

Night fell swiftly and silently, and as the stars gathered in brightness in the heavens, so too did the Inner resistance gather in the semi-darkness of the kitchens. One by one they entered the room alone or in pairs, Sakura descending from her usual stairwell after furtively checking that she was not being followed, until everyone was accounted for.

"Does everyone remember the plan?" Shikamaru asked the apprehensive group around him. Everyone nodded in answer. "Follow the exact directions Naruto," he emphasized toward his comrade.

"I know, I know," the blue-eyed Uzumaki heir answered in taught-nerves. "I'll be careful."

Shikamaru sighed in annoyance. "Fine. If no one has any questions I suggest you say anything you want to say to everyone now. There are no guarantees with this one." Ino's knuckles were turning white in her grip on his hand, and her usually confident façade had grown pale and worried. He drew her away into a corner to talk as light murmurings sprang up in the room.

Sakura searched and finally spotted Sasuke's raven hair not far from her. She quickly and gracefully made her way over to him; anxiety and nerves making her hands shake with each step. Once she was right in front of him she opened her mouth to speak, "Sasuke, I-"

"Sakura, we need to talk." His voice was toneless, leaving everyone who heard look at him in puzzlement, but he purposefully avoided everyone's eyes. Instead he turned around and walked out the back kitchen door and out into the darkening night.

Naruto's wary eye watched the exchange in foreboding trepidation.

Bewildered, Sakura followed, but she wasn't too thrilled about it. The echoes were a mass of chaos that she couldn't untangle no matter how hard she tried, and it made her nervous. It didn't help that he was also avoiding her eyes.

Is something wrong? What's going on? Why is he being so serious? Is everything all right? Is-?

"Shut the door."

His voice left no room for argument, and slightly alarmed now Sakura pulled the door behind her snugly, wondering what on earth was going on. The warmth and light shut off leaving the two of them in the cool darkness, and Sakura suddenly wanted nothing more than to be back inside with everyone.

Something wasn't right.

Her heart began to pound for reasons she couldn't begin to imagine though every thought that raced through her mind seemed worse than the last.

"Sasuke? Is everything okay?" She ventured, approaching his stiff figure cautiously.

"I can't do this anymore," he stated bluntly and without preamble.

"Do what? The plan? It's too late Sasuke, it's tonight," Sakura reasoned. "I understand that you're worried about everyone, but we've gone over everything over and over again. Itachi couldn't possibly-"

"It's not the plan." He cut her off abruptly.

Sakura snapped her mouth closed and tried again, trying to soothe his fears. "Sasuke. It's going to be okay. Everyone will be safe. Itachi won't get away with-"

"Stop that!" He barked out at her startled face.

Sakura's mind began to whirl in confusion. "Stop what? What are you talking about?"

"Stop mentioning _his_ name," Sasuke all but grit out between his teeth.

Sakura was taken aback for a moment, but shook herself out of it. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"That's just it Sakura. You don't mean to do a lot of things, but you have."

Now Sakura was completely and thoroughly lost. "Sasuke-? What-?"

"I can't do this anymore," he bit out once again.

"Do what?" Sakura demanded back exasperated.

"I can't be with you anymore. You're driving me insane!" Sasuke finally turned and looked at Sakura with a face full of annoyance and loathing. "All you ever talk about is Itachi this, and Itachi that. Are you _really_ sure that you even love me? I think you just like the _idea_ of loving me, but my brother is more appealing isn't he?"

Sakura's jaw dropped open in a most unladylike fashion.

She was struck dumb. How in the world was she supposed to respond to that? Hadn't she made it clear a hundred times before how she had felt? And hadn't _he _proposed to _her_?

"That's what I thought," Sasuke lashed out at her with his words. "Well that's just fine because I don't like weak girls anyway. You're too weak for me. For any of us. We don't need your help. _I_ don't need your help. So why don't you just go home to your perfect life, with your perfect home, and your perfect family and wait for your _preferred_ fiancé to come rescue you?

He smirked menacingly. "Though you'll be waiting a long time. Because once I kill him, the contract is over. To the world I'm dead, and once he's dead, the contract will be null and void. It'll be over. I won't ever feel the obligation to be with you again."

Sakura felt tears swim in her eyes unbidden. Her thoughts were too tormented and wiled up to think straight. _Obligation? What the hell is going on? He doesn't want me anymore? But- that doesn't make sense. We-he-_

_He doesn't want me anymore._

The last thought began to creep into every fiber of her being until it was repeating itself over and over and over again in her head.

Any echoes she could have or wanted to feel were suddenly and immediately cut off.

She felt nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The hole that had finally begun to heal in her chest ripped itself open with an excruciating force that would have knocked her right down to the ground had she been capable of feeling anything past the numb disbelief and rejection.

She couldn't make a sound.

She couldn't breathe.

She couldn't do anything but stand there and fall deeper and deeper into the dark abyss that welcomed her with open arms, the one that had always protected her from the cruelties of life.

But suddenly she felt a stab of something else before going completely under.

Anger.

White-hot anger slowly bubbled itself up inside her and it spread and toppled her feelings of despair. Her thoughts were whipping around in circles too fast to completely comprehend anything before her, but she knew one thing was for certain.

She was going to do exactly what he suggested.

She was going to do exactly what she herself had planned to do from the moment she had set foot back in this horrid place. She was going to leave. She was going to go home.

Had she been in a calmer state she would have noticed the slight look of concern in Sasuke's eyes as he watched her transform from something that looked half-dead to a fiery, enraged woman. She also would have noticed that he was struggling to hold himself back; that his entire frame was straining to keep himself firmly rooted to that spot.

But she wasn't thinking straight.

All she saw was the blank, empty look of fathomless deep eyes that mirrored his set jaw staring back at her. And thus, her body reacted on pure feminine instinct.

Her arm reeled itself back and then launched her open palm at his open and waiting face.

SMACK.

He didn't flinch. He knew it was coming. Had been hoping that it would, to appease her in some way, so that he wouldn't feel so guilty and dirty. Instead it only increased his feelings of self-loathing, no matter how much his mind argued that it was for the best.

He watched her stalk back in through the door, slightly surprised that they now had an audience. Apparently Sakura's resounding slap had been louder than his eardrums had been able to comprehend, although he wasn't entirely sure as his ears were still ringing and his cheek felt like someone had lit it on fire.

Their audience's eyes darted from Sakura's retreating form to Sasuke's look of impassivity, incredulous.

As she walked by, her spine straight, her head high, her face set, and tears coursing themselves silently down her cheeks they parted to allow her through.

She silently made her way through the other door and shut it with a snap behind her before she began running up the stairs, tears half-blinding her, tripping over her skirts nearly every step of the way.

Sakura burst into her room and began throwing whatever was at hand into her shoulder bag, only consciously remembering to throw in her medicinal kit and her journal, before throwing her cloak around her and slipping back out of her room, trying to stifle her sobs.

She kept to the shadows, stumbling over her own feet as her chest threatened to tear itself open right then and there. Her cracked and nearly mended heart was open and throbbing, bleeding with abandonment.

Looking back on it, she was never quite sure how she managed to make it back down and out of the Uchiha castle without running into anyone, or anything, before nearly falling into the stable. Only stopping to lean against her chosen horse for a moment, and struggling to catch her breath enough through her choking sobs to weakly pull herself up and into the saddle, but she managed.

And then she left without a second look back.

"I hope you know what you're doing, teme," a bitter and exhausted voice broke the silence.

There was no response, but an answering wind that blew itself across the grounds and into the dark forest beyond.


	12. A Sliver of Moonlight & A Slight Chance

**Author's Notes: **I promised the wait would be short, and so here it is! XD Enjoy the next chapter of Re-Writing a Fairytale! Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: I have nothing witty to say here so no, I do not own Naruto or its' characters, but I do claim ownership of this story plot however stereotypical it may be_.

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**Chapter Eleven: A Sliver of Moonlight & A Slight Chance**

Sakura had ridden long and hard, but eventually she had to stop. She couldn't see through her tears anymore.

She gently pulled the horse to a halt, and managed to slip off its side before collapsing on the ground right then and there and dissolving into tears. Finally allowing herself to explore every emotion that was threatening to overwhelm her.

Time passed.

She wasn't sure how much, but eventually the wracking sobs dwindled down to the dull numbness that usually followed heartbreak. Her body felt cold, damp, and stiff; her tears had slowed but continued to wet her face. And her thoughts drifted.

Unwanted memories surfaced.

Her bright fluttering childlike feelings from when she was first introduced to the Uchiha brothers by their warm and loving mother.

Her complete astonishment and wonder upon realizing just how deeply she could love one person, and how entirely different it was from loving her parents.

The mind shattering pain of losing such a person, and the earth shaking amazement at realizing that the person had never truly left.

The warmth and passion of her first kiss, and being able to share it with the one person she couldn't imagine life without anymore.

The indescribable joy and whirlwind of emotions when the same person promised to be with her for the rest of their lives together if she would accept him and be with him in return.

And then…this… 

As her mind wandered through the roller coaster of emotions and remembered moments, the one person's face she wanted to forget more than any other stubbornly refused to leave her sights. And with the face came the Gift that connected them.

She began to become irritated and confused over the resounding emotions of _Pain _traveling down the line, and finding her where she was amongst the dark leaves and branches that she could hardly see in the darkness of the near-moonless night.

She tried her hardest to ignore it, and instead allowed her mind to keep wandering, resting it upon the thought of everyone and everything else she had left behind.

She hesitated in her musings and misery.

_I know _he _doesn't want me, but…can I really abandon everyone else?_ _He_ _said that I was too weak for anyone, but never that _they_ didn't want me. _

_Do they want me? Am I really too weak to help anyone?_

Her thoughts ventured to all the training she had put herself through in the last twelve years; both Tsunade's tutelage and Kakashi-sensei's strict routine, and her eyes sparked with an inner fire.

_No! _

_I am NOT weak! I put myself through all that for this. I've prepared myself for this my whole life. The Resistance recognized my strength at the meeting and approved of me, so who cares if _he_ won't. _

Her eyes traveled up to the small patch of night sky she could see through an opening in the tree branches above her, and noted the position of the sliver of moon that was left.

I traveled further than I thought. It's late. They should be preparing to act now.

She sighed miserably; one last sob escaping, alerting her that she had finally stopped crying, and her thoughts strayed to the plan.

They're going to free everyone from the dungeon cells first. That will add Hyuuga Neji and Aburame Shino to the fight.

And then it hit her.

"Hinata!" she suddenly exclaimed loud enough to startle the horse, but her thoughts began racing forward too fast for her to notice.

What if I set her free on my own? That's one last thing they have to worry about, and it'll show him! I can too be useful. I'll prove to them I'm worth keeping!

With her mind set and her bleeding heart still aching, but determined to show the world differently she climbed to her feet and dusted herself off before climbing back on to her horse. She turned around and headed back at a quick pace. She didn't have much time.

----------

Dawn was just rising over the horizon, alighting everything in its glow when she came into view of the tall sandy colored fortress once more. She was damp and cold, but she pushed her physical aliments aside and focused on the task before her.

Sakura was careful to keep to the shadows of the forest so that no one would notice her approach if they happened to look out a window. She slipped silently off her horse and stole through the darkness until she was crouched just under the nearest window.

Her dark cloak was still wrapped around her body and hiding her for only a few more precious moments as the sky lightened by the minute. The heavens slowly but steadily drifting from a dark grayish blue to an ever-deepening orange of sunrise as she rose up just enough to peer in through the nearest window.

Noting that the coast was clear she stealthily opened the window just wide enough to hoist her body inside. She landed gently on a rug on the other side, silencing any noise her feet would have made, and just as quietly slid the window shut once more.

The sun was now filtering through the trees, but inside the castle most of the halls were still darkened. Sakura used this to her advantage, and stole up a few of the hidden stairwells that she knew would be empty, and in no time at all was pushing the lever that opened the door to the tower.

Sakura took one last glance around the room before slipping into the other side of the mirror and making her way up the stairs, only breathing a sigh of relief when she had made it to the tower and ensured that she was alone in the hallway.

The without hesitation she approached the door, pulling a sturdy hairpin out of her inner pocket as she drew closer, and immediately set to picking the lock open.

"Who's there?" An alarmed feminine voice sounded in the silent room.

"Shhh," Sakura hushed. "It's just me Hinata."

"Sakura?" Hinata's anxious voice sounded from the other side of the door. "What are you doing? Where is everyone?" She kept her voice low, but it rose in pitch as she became more worried.

"There's been a slight change in plans," Sakura responded, her mind focused on the lock and concentrating on finding the catch. "I'm here alone."

"But-…what? What happened?"

Sakura hesitated a moment before figuring that they had always been honest with each other and plowing on ahead. "I left."

"You left?" A confused and incredulous Hinata asked.

Sakura spoke softly, willing herself to focus intently on the lock so that she wouldn't respond to the question with her emotions. "He told me I would only be in the way. That he didn't want nor need me, and once he had taken care of Itachi, the contract was null and void…but I came back. I'll prove that I'm not weak, even if I have to shove it down his throat to prove it," she bit out the last part in nearly a growl.

"…Sakura."

Click.

"Got it!" Sakura exclaimed proudly, before tugging the heavy lock aside and throwing the door open wide. Hinata stumbled out and nearly fell over before Sakura caught her.

"Careful," Sakura grinned happily. She set Hinata back upright, and allowed the Uzumaki fiancée to straighten herself up for a moment before grasping her hand and heading back down the hall toward the stairs. "Come on, let's-"

Sakura froze on the spot as a flurry of echoes slammed into her. Fear. Panic. Anger.

Danger.

Pain.

"Sakura?" Hinata's frightened and alarmed voice reached Sakura's ears as if through a filter. "What's wrong? You're as pale as a ghost, and your squeezing my hand too tightly."

"Something went wrong," Sakura murmured with a certainty that grew with each passing moment.

"What?!" Hinata voice was now filled with overwhelming distress and fear.

Sakura turned to her companion, to discover that they had identical looks of fear etched across their faces. "Something's happened! We need to-"

A massive echo of Pain burst into Sakura before everything cut itself off abruptly.

"Sasuke!"

What color that had remained drained from her face. Without waiting another moment, Sakura grasped Hinata's hand more firmly and half-dragged her down the stairs and ran in a blind panic from the tower. Together they raced to the area where the inside Resistance should have been- the dungeons. Forcing them to slow only when they drew upon the door, and stopping right in front of its entrance.

Panting for breath Sakura grabbed the nearest torch off the wall and eased the door open a crack. Hearing a noise she came to her senses enough to shove Hinata behind her, signaling her to keep silent. They waited, absolutely silent, listening to the noises below, but not hearing it draw closer.

Sakura turned to Hinata and whispered. "I'm going alone."

"What? No-"

"You are not coming with me Hinata," Sakura argued back. "Naruto would kill me if anything happened to you, and if anything happens to me I want to know that you at least got away. Please," she pleaded. "Promise me that you'll leave and stay hidden no matter what happens."

Hinata opened her mouth to argue, but caved after studying the look in Sakura's eyes. She sighed heavily. "Alright."

Sakura embraced the young woman before her. "Thank you." She smiled ruefully before giving Hinata the exact directions to the window she had entered through, where she had left her horse, and the way to the Resistance. She stayed put until Hinata was out of sight before bolting down the stairs, her feet barely whispering on the cold, damp, stone ground beneath her.

Down and around she went until it suddenly cut off and Sakura doused her light, praying that no one had seen it, and cursing herself silently for being so stupid. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before peering around the corner, stifling a strangled gasp in the process. What met her eyes was the entire Inside resistance scattered about the room in a sorry looking state.

She heard and felt the stirring at the same time, and immediately located a beaten and exhausted Sasuke trying to fend off Itachi, too hurt to defend himself properly.

"Bastard, I'll kill you," said person hissed out through his teeth and pain at his older brother.

"Foolish little brother," Itachi's even monotone voice reached every corner of the room even though he never made an effort to raise his voice. "You're not strong enough from our last encounter to even begin thinking about that. If you had kept her here, you might have stood a chance."

"Like I'd let you touch her," Sasuke bit back. "She's my fiancée."

"According to the contract Haruno Sakura was yours, but since you're 'dead' I do believe that she now belongs to me." He leaned closer. "And I can do whatever I want with her."

"Bastard," Sasuke snarled and tried to use his good hand to dig a dagger into Itachi's arm, but Itachi merely caught it with the ease of swatting away a fly, threw it aside, and instead applied increasing pressure to Sasuke's still healing arm.

The resulting cry of pain stopped Sakura's heart cold, and she felt a wave of nausea rise in the pit of her stomach. She slammed a hand to her mouth and bent over, before noticing for the first time that the thrown dagger had all but planted itself at her feet.

And suddenly…it didn't matter.

The entire argument Sasuke had picked with her the night before didn't matter to her. She realized now that he had purposefully said all those things to enrage her.

To make her leave. To keep her out of harm's way. To protect her.

He had said it himself, she was _his_ fiancée and that was all she needed to forgive him in that instant and throw her into the fight without a second thought.

She picked the dagger up off the ground, and rushed forward as Itachi drew out his own sword and raised it high above Sasuke's neck.

"Now die with the knowledge that your revenge was always in vain," Itachi stated bringing his arm down in a sweeping arc.

Metal clanged against metal, resounding off the walls in an almost musical wave of resonance.

The silence that followed was almost deafening as everyone who could was staring at Sakura like they had seen a ghost. She stood firmly over Sasuke, muscles straining against the force and weight from the older man bearing down on her, but her face set.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked, hardly believing his own eyes, finally making the first sound. "When-? How-…Why?"

"I came back," Sakura replied as if she were stating the obvious.

"Foolish woman. You should have never returned," Itachi commented offhandedly. "You have only ensnared yourself further into this." His face showed no strain as he continued to bear down on Sakura, who in turn could feel her arms begin to shake from the exerted pressure. "Move."

"No," Sakura all but hissed out, never wavering or flinching away.

"Sakura, stop it. You can't handle this on your own," Sasuke tried to reason with her, cursing himself for not being able to be the one fending off Itachi.

"I can handle this just fine," Sakura retorted back.

"Take a look around you woman," Itachi stated. "Look at how the rest have ended up."

Sakura's look of determination and disgust deepened. "I did look. That's why I'm still here." Her breathing began to come uneven slightly, knowing she couldn't stand there much longer without breaking off the standstill; her arms were burning. "I can do this all day," Sakura bluffed. "I won't budge. So what now?"

All eyes turned toward Itachi. He studied the intense stance of the young Lady before him and contemplated his options. He was sure she wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer, but he too was drained of his usual energy. He didn't want to admit it, but going up against the entire Inner Resistance on his own had done him in a bit. Even his younger brother had been…troublesome. "Let's make a bargain."

Sakura's facial expression changed from surprise to wary in a matter of seconds. "What kind of a bargain?"

"What do you want?" Itachi questioned back.

Sakura's mind raced, and her eyes swept the room hurriedly, sparing a moment to glance behind her as well. "I want you to not kill a single person in this room," she finally made her decision.

"A high price. And what do I receive in return?"

"Me."

"Sakura, no!" Sasuke's alarmed voice rang out the loudest amongst the rest of the room's occupants that were still conscious.

"Interesting," Itachi responded, not even batting an eye. "In what way? Death?"

Sakura grimaced and steeled herself, collecting all of her thoughts together and forcing out the words she had sworn to never utter to another. "I'll marry you.

"If I marry you willingly my parents will have no reason to seek outside help, and rise up against you. They'll know it was my decision."

For the second time in a matter of minutes, the room rung with a stunned silence, its occupants wondering if they were hearing correctly. Their mouths lay agape, but too consumed by shock to form the words.

"Done," Itachi's controlled, low voice rang out with authority, sealing the deal without ever raising his voice. He immediately released the pressure he had continuously wielded, and Sakura struggled not to sag in relief. Her muscles all but limp from exhaustion. "Prepare yourself," was all he said before sweeping out of the room without a second glance back. He knew he had nothing to worry about from the pitiful fools lying and bleeding all over the stone floor, and they would be dealt with shortly. But he wouldn't kill them. He would keep his promise. And, if nothing else, Itachi always made good on his promises.

As the train of Itachi's own black and red cape swirled out of view, Sakura's legs collapsed from under her and she sat absolutely still on the ground, once again not caring what she sat in and vaguely aware that every pair of eyes were now on her.

"…Why?"

Sakura felt her eyes immediately tear up and leak over, trying to understand how she had any tears left to cry before answering. "I did what I had to do." She slipped off her shoulder pack; faintly amazed at how it always managed to stay right where it was needed, and opened it, taking out the ever-familiar medicinal kit.

Through blurry eyes she opened her wooden kit and stared at its contents, contemplating on how she would spread out her supplies amongst this many.

"Sakura?" Sasuke's voice broke through her musings.

"I'm not weak," she whispered. "Not anymore."

"…I know." He responded, his voice just as low. "I'm sorry."

And Sakura's own emotions clashed, collided and mixed with the echoes that swirled around inside her like a never-ending hurricane until she wasn't sure which were hers and which were Sasuke's. All she knew was that she had suddenly spun around and collapsed in his waiting arms, crying for all she was worth and wondering just how much life hated her, and what else it could possibly have in store for her.


	13. Shattered Dreams & Rekindled Hope

**Author's Notes: **I had hoped to have this out yesterday, but alas the Holidays were too fun to pull myself away from. I hope you all understand. So, here is my belated Christmas present to you all. Here's wishing it was wonderful and that you enjoyed yours as much or even more so than my own. Enjoy the Final Chapter of "Re-Writing a Fairytale!" Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

_Disclaimer: I now own a Naruto calendar for the year 2008 (one of my Christmas presents), however, I do not own the characters or the original story plot. Nevertheless, this story IS mine.

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_

**Chapter Twelve: Shattered Dreams & Rekindled Hope**

The altar. Sakura could see it standing before her, beckoning her to the end of her life.

The instruments began their light, happy sound signaling to all that a marriage was about to begin. To Sakura, it felt like a funeral march, but nevertheless she forced her feet to move.

Each step cost her. For every step, another tear escaped and made its way as slowly and painfully down her face as every single heartbeat that threatened to tear her heart from her chest.

Countless faces of unknown people watched in amazement and wonderment; the people of this country, having long waited to see the day when they would finally have a King and Queen seated upon the thrones again.

But all she could see was the figure of the one man she had never dreamed of marrying, the one person who held her life and that of countless others in the palm of his hand as if it were all one big game, and oh how she _loathed_ him. Her rage and pain accompanied her every bit of the way of the longest walk of her life.

Somehow she managed to take those last few steps that ended right in front of the man whose face never showed anything but an apathy for life, but now studied her with an intensity that almost made her falter back a step. He stepped to the side slightly, and Sakura received her first glimpse beyond him, and saw what she had not been able to see from the aisle.

A gallows.

A hangman's noose.

And a dark-haired head securely caught inside it.

The only thing that registered in Sakura's numb brain was shock, but all too quickly it was over taken with a rage that spread from her fingers to the tips of her toes, and she barely controlled her indecision. Her frame shook, as she stood rooted to the spot, torn between throwing all of her weight behind a well-aimed fist into Itachi's face or running toward Sasuke without abandon and releasing him from the deathtrap.

She settled somewhere in the middle and threw her deadliest glare at Itachi, keeping her voice to a low hiss, her cold voice full of fury leaked the smallest bit of her rage. "What the _hell_ is going on?"

"Language," was all Itachi said for a moment, but then, "It is to ensure that you hold up your end of the deal. If you have any ridiculous thoughts in your head, I suggest you rid yourself of them now otherwise he _will_ hang. So long as you say 'I do' he will not swing. His life is in your hands." The murderous intent in his eyes sickened Sakura and she wanted to spit in his face.

He held out his hand for her and Sakura reluctantly grasped it in her own, schooling herself on not crushing every single bone of his fingers in the process. Her stomach was reeling. She was actually _touching_ him.

The music ended as the pair finally came to a rest in front of the elderly Holy man, the large audience of the people from the Uchiha kingdom watching in slight confusion and wonderment. One could almost hear the thoughts racing through their heads. _A hanging? At a wedding? And who was being hung? _

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…" was all Sakura heard of the bent and fragile-looking Holy man's speech of the rites and ceremony of marriage.

All her thoughts were focused on just how life had led her to this moment.

_What did I do wrong? How did things come this far? What did I do to deserve this? What did _any _of us do to deserve this? How can _he _win? _

_All the fairytales I was ever told ended the same way, with good triumphing over evil. But here I am about to marry evil incarnate, my 'handsome prince' waits to see if he will live or die with the twitch of a wrist, and anyone who could help us has been locked away for as long as they shall live. _

_Can miracles never happen?_ She looked over at the gallows to see dark, swirling orbs that gazed back at her with intensity, reflecting the _Pain, Regret, Remorse_, and _Love _that had never stopped echoing inside her heart since the morning she had saved their lives. _Are fairytales really just stories? Is there really no such thing as a happy ending? For anyone?_ _Does evil really win in the end?_

She stole a glance at the man with whom she grasped hands, though every fiber of her being longed to wrench itself away with all the force she could muster, and discovered with a jolt that he was gazing back at her intently, waiting.

"Lady Sakura," an elderly voice prompted her, and Sakura gave the slightest of starts outwardly as her heart turned over in her chest.

This was it. This was when two small words would seal the fate of so many. Sakura felt the sudden burden fall upon her shoulders with a bone-shattering crash. Her lungs constricted and she couldn't say the words that had to be said, "…I…"

_NEVER!_ Her mind screamed at her in its deafening voice. _I'd rather die!_ Sakura bit her tongue to hold back what her heart wished to shriek with all the remaining breath in her lungs.

_If you don't, Sasuke dies._ She reminded herself. _The entire Inner Resistance dies. You have to do this! You _have _to!_

Sakura took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air and let it out slowly ridding herself of all and any emotions except for her unwavering determination. Schooling her face into a neutral expression she focused her eyesight on the Holy man before her, feeling the encouragement that rolled off him as he assumed her to be nothing but nervous about her wedding day.

Granted, he was a bit disturbed and more than a bit curious about the young man being held in a noose no more than fifty paces from where they stood, but far stranger things had been going on in his life lately, more than he cared to remember.

"…I…" Sakura attempted again, resigning herself to fate, and surrendering to the pull of a promise of a loveless life for the second time in her short life.

She tore her gaze away from the paternal look of the old man, and settled once more on Sasuke's face. He gave her the smallest smile of reassurance, and she nearly felt her heart shatter right there and then. Itachi watched the exchange without expression and began to raise his hand. Sakura caught the movement and felt the blood drain from her face. "No!" she all but shouted, startling the elderly man beside her. "I-I-"

And then, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye; a lone figure, standing in the shadows of the crowd, watching her intently, a cloak concealing its features from the world. The slight figure raised its head and Sakura recognized the one face that everyone had forgotten in all of the chaos.

Hinata.

Sakura watched as Hinata raised a crossbow level with her eyes and aimed it straight for the hangman's rope. She spared a single glance at Sakura and nodded. Sakura turned toward Itachi and smiled at the same exact moment that Hinata released her arrow, "I'll _never_ marry you!" Then she gave into her desire and threw a solid punch at her ex-husband-to-be's face.

Itachi, caught off guard, stumbled back from the pain that flared through his face from his jaw, as Naruto jumped up onto the gallows and cut Sasuke's arms loose.

Sakura gathered up the layers of her gown, hoisted them above her knees in a most improper fashion and ran like she was six years old again. She raced up the stairs and threw herself into the arms of the person she had promised herself to long ago, and was in return enveloped in a passionate kiss that sent her blood rushing through her veins and a feeling like a mild shock racing to every extremity of her body.

"_Never_ do that to me again," she whispered fiercely through their kiss, her hands entangled in his hair, and his arms around her waist, holding each other as close as they could be. She felt his smirk against her lips in answer.

"Some help would be nice! …Oye!" Naruto's irritated but happy voice broke through their bubble that they had wrapped themselves in.

The two pulled just far enough apart to see Naruto shaking his head in amusement at them, Hinata at his side looking like she was about to burst with happiness, an intense blush gracing her features as Naruto wrapped his free arm around Hinata's waist. "Why don't we give these people a real show?" Naruto asked offhandedly, but was glaring at Itachi as his eyes in return narrowed heavily at them, a look of irritation etched into his normally impassive features.

Itachi lifted his arm above his head, and Sakura realized with a horrifying jolt that various men surrounded them with arrows aimed at the four of them. She clutched harder to Sasuke and he held her tightly to him in response.

_This is it_, she thought desperately. _We tried but this is as far as we can go. We're all going to die here._

She looked up into Sasuke's face and matched the emotions that were crashing behind his eyes. _At least we won't die alone. Maybe the Graces will be gracious enough to allow us to be together in our next lives._

She tensed and waited, her eyes clenched tightly and inwardly shuddering at the thought of being bombarded by a volley of arrows.

She saw nothing but darkness.

"Sakura," she heard the voice of an angel say.

_Are we already dead…? Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought._

"Open your eyes," the same voice encouraged, and she slowly peeked open her eyes to find that she was still breathing. In fact, she didn't hurt at all. Bewildered she looked up at Sasuke's face, and realized it had been his voice and they were still alive.

"Look," was all he said, a pleased smirk evident on his face as he watched something in front of them.

Ever so slowly she turned in his embrace and met a sight that sent a second shock wave through her body.

"Took you long enough," Naruto grinned in good-humor at Kakashi-sensei as he held a gleaming dagger around Itachi's throat.

"I'm sorry," the silver-haired warrior from Sakura's kingdom answered. "I was stopped on my way here by a very startled cat and-"

"Liar," Naruto breathed, but smiled all the wider.

Itachi himself was throwing his attacker and the four of them the deepest look of loathing.

Sakura averted her eyes from his heavy glare and looked around them to find the rest of the Inner Resistance had already disarmed the rest of Itachi's allies within the castle; most had given up without a struggle.

The two pairs slowly and carefully made their way down the stairs and off the wooden monstrosity that had nearly ended everything, and made their way through the parting crowd who could only look around them in shock and utter disbelief.

They finally fell upon Kakashi-sensei and his captor in time to hear, "…Under the new laws set down by the Resistance you, Uchiha Itachi, are no longer seen as a fit ruler. You are hereby immediately and effectively stripped of your right to rule your kingdom and any other you hold in your control.

"In turn, the right to rule falls to that of your younger brother and the last of the remaining Uchiha line, Sasuke, effective as of this very moment. Your influence shall be banished from the surrounding countries, and their heirs shall be returned the moment your trial is over.

"You shall be detained in your own prison until your trial three days from now, upon which the rest of your fate shall be decided…"

Sakura tuned out the rest of the monologue as the whisperings around her immediately rose up in gigantic tidal waves. Everyone around her was suddenly looking at her dark-haired companion with new eyes.

"Is that-?"

"No, it couldn't be-"

"I thought they had all died."

"No, remember, no one ever found his body."

"You mean he's been alive this whole time?"

"What's he been doing this whole time?"

"How could we be left to Itachi's rule when the younger Sire was alive this whole time?"

"Did he not care about us?"

The fear and uncertainty in the people's eyes set Sakura on edge, but the harsher whisperings that erupted grated on her nerves.

Sasuke's hand in hers began to tighten as he restrained himself. He kept his eyes solidly on his brother's, and acted like he didn't hear a word his people were saying although his eyes said otherwise.

Sakura had finally had enough.

"Would all of you please keep your musings and your theories to yourself?" Sakura asked in a strained but polite tone. "Especially when we are all still trying to sort out what is going on ourselves."

Those who heard Sakura looked at her with wide eyes and she sighed in impatience. Sasuke clutching her hand in warning. She looked at him steadily, "How do you expect them to know and trust you if they do not understand?"

"She's right Teme," Naruto interjected.

Sasuke threw him a brief glare, but didn't comment.

Sakura took the opportunity in hand and looked about her before beginning. _Oh God, if I screw this up…_

"Yes, this is Uchiha Sasuke," she started, a look of determination on her set face. "He has been kept confined by his older brother, your previous Sire since the night Itachi personally murdered the entire Uchiha line."

Collective gasps were heard all around, and those who couldn't hear Sakura's voice were quickly filled in as she talked. Sasuke himself refused to look anywhere but at his brother's face with hatred.

"Since then, Itachi has been collecting the heirs from various countries throughout the Land of Fire in an attempt to control them all from the inside out. As you can see," she gestured at Hinata who was blushing furiously from the sudden attention, "most of those who were presumed dead or missing are alive and well. For starters, this is Uzumaki Naruto and his once missing fiancée Hyuuga Hinata."

Word spread like rapid wildfire now. "Together with their help and the help of those others held in confinement in the Uchiha castle, we have been plotting to bring about Itachi's demise. The remaining heirs are amongst you now, helping to keep Itachi's allies at bay."

Heads twisted this way and that as certain people recognized the people Sakura had recently met, after only hearing about their lives through rumors and passed on stories. The murmurings and mutterings continued, and Sakura let them have their musings for a minute before continuing. As soon as she made a movement to speak, all immediately fell silent to hear what else she had to say.

She smiled at them gently and continued, "Uchiha Itachi shall no longer rule your lives with fear and distrust, his reign is over. Your new Sire, the crowned Prince, Uchiha Sasuke, now stands to inherit the throne, and he will do a wonderful job." She smiled up at Sasuke adoringly, who had finally met her eyes in wonderment. "I know I'd trust him with my life."

"And just who are you exactly?" A voice called out from the midst of the crowd.

"Yes," a voice answered. "What part do you play in all of this? Why should we trust you when you almost married the ex-Sire?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but Sasuke interjected. "This is Haruno Sakura, my fiancée, who was being forced to marry Itachi in order to save the rest of us."

Sighs of acceptance and understanding swept through the crowd as the people of the Uchiha kingdom looked upon their future rulers in awe; Sakura and Sasuke in turn kept their loving gaze on each other, both realizing that their engagement was finally announced and official.

"Sasuke-!"

"Sakura-!"

The two-startled voice of Naruto and Hinata rang out in the ensuing calm, "-look out!" A grunt of pain was heard and Sakura and Sasuke turned their heads, at the same time to see Itachi knock Kakashi-sensei away and steal his sword away from Kakashi's loosened grip. As Itachi came at them, Sakura slipped her hand into the ribbon of cloth around her waist and pulled out a dagger of her own. She looked at Sasuke who thanked her with his eyes, and turned completely without warning at the last possible second shoving Sakura behind him in the process.

The sudden move caught Itachi off-guard for the smallest fraction of a second, allowing Sasuke to get in a sweep at Itachi's face. There it nicked his forehead enough to cause a steady flow of blood to fall into Itachi's eyes, leaving him momentarily blinded.

The crowd began to scream and back out of the way in fear and alarm, making the progression of the Inner Resistance toward the fight slow and difficult.

Itachi tried to wipe away the blood from his eyesight, hindering him so that Naruto had been given a moment to get behind him, his own sword drawn. Hinata's crossbow was reloaded and her aim steady, directed right at Itachi's head. Sakura had managed to conjure up another much smaller dagger from the lining of her stockings, and stood side-by-side with Sasuke, guarding his injured arm, as he held the dagger pointed at Itachi's heart.

Kakashi-sensei recovered and surrounded Itachi with another shorter sword drawn, "There's no way out, Uchiha Itachi. Give-up"

The ban of Inner Resistance struggled through the shocked and staring crowd and took up their places around the group of five.

"So, it's finally over," Itachi's level voice sounded out in nothing louder than a whisper. "The one-time enemies have banded together for a common goal? How pathetic." His eyes swept over theirs in loathing. "How weak."

"Your reign is over Itachi," Naruto spoke with firm authority. "Give up, there's nothing you can do."

The faintest hint of a terrifying smile pricked up the corners of Itachi's mouth, as he shut his eyes in understanding. "Your wrong. I choose my own way out." Everyone looked at each other in confusion for a heartbeat, and then before anyone could stop him he took a lunge at Sakura taking aim at her heart.

It was over in a matter of seconds.

Sakura saw it all in slow motion as if she were watching it from a distance, everything and everyone a dull roar in her ears. Sasuke pushed her behind him once more, and her steps faltered before she regained her balance and looked up to see Sasuke's back before her.

Everyone had gone still and silent, and time regained its steady motion as her heart leapt up into her throat. "Sasuke!"

Panic overriding everything she made an attempt to rush to his side before Hinata ensnared her wrist and held her back. "Wait," her quiet voice steady, but her grip shaky, and her eyes wide as she stood fixated on Sasuke and Itachi.

Sakura stood there stunned for a moment before taking a deep breath to calm herself and look at the pair before her, realizing that the echoes were still there and there was nothing to alert her of any immediate danger.

Everything was still for a few breaths more before Itachi slumped to the ground and lay there unmoving. Sakura's eyes widened slightly as she came to the sudden realization that the body was no longer breathing.

Itachi Uchiha was dead.

Hinata's grip slackened and her hand fell to her side, but Sakura couldn't move. Her eyes had immediately jumped up to Sasuke, checking for outward signs of his own health.

Sasuke slowly turned around, his own gaze on the ground, as Sakura swept hers over the rest of the body, searching for any possible wounds, cuts, or abrasions. Seeing none, she let the apprehension and tension slowly evaporate from her taught nerves, and she sighed deeply inwardly in relief.

She took a few hesitant steps over to him as Sasuke stared at the bloody and dripping weapon in his hand as if not entirely sure how the crimson liquid of life had quite gotten there. Sakura stopped right in front of him and raised her hands steadily to his face, cupping his cheeks between her palms and shifting his gaze to meet hers.

"Sasuke?" she asked softly, his eyes finally locking onto hers and they collided and crashed with a hundred different emotions, unsure of which one was the most dominant. He looked at her questioningly and a little lost and confused.

She smiled warmly and drew him into a tender kiss that after a few dazed seconds he returned, dropping the dagger and encircling her waist in his embrace, deepening the kiss for a moment until he was sure of himself again, content.

"I told you, you were going to be fine," she said for his ears only, a comforting look alighting her features.

"Well done, Sasuke," a voice said as a hand laid itself upon Sasuke's shoulders. They turned to see Kakashi-sensei looking at him in pride and a bit of pity.

The crowd which had been shrieking in fear, now looked around at each other and the sight before them subdued.

"I think it is past time we cleaned up this mess," the wise warrior continued in a louder voice as he looked out at the surrounding audience. The ashen, stunned faces of the Inner Resistance nodded in agreement, replacing their features with determination before setting about and taking care of the body and tearing down the false wedding scenery.

Kakashi himself squeezed both Sasuke and Sakura's shoulders once more before taking his leave himself and joining the rest of the crowd.

Sasuke returned his eyesight to Sakura's with an inquiring gaze, and she smiled encouragingly.

Passionate emerald held fervent midnight.

"I love you Sasuke Uchiha, for now and forever."

"I love you too."

Emotions met and swirled around each other in a cascade of _Love, Passion, Understanding, Peace, _and _Acceptance_ as their lips met in an ardent kiss.


	14. Epilogue

**Author's Notes: **And so Re-Writing a Fairytale comes to a close. I cannot thank all you enough for reading this fanfiction. I confess that I was terrified when I first posted it. I had never written a Naruto fanfiction before, and I was writing one with one of the most commonly used themes/plots in all of fanfiction, a fairytale complete with a beautiful princess and her prince charming. But each and every one of you has given me so much encouragement and kind words. I thank you profusely for your patience with me. And without further ado, the Epilogue.

_Disclaimer: If I did, I would have said so by now. _

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**Re-Writing a Fairytale: Epilogue**

_(Five Months Later…) _

_Report: The Story of Hinata Hyuuga After Her Release_

_After I, Haruno Sakura, released Hinata from her imprisonment within the tallest tower of the Uchiha castle, she followed my instructions out of the stone fortress and located my horse within the confines of the forest. She made to run all the way to the meeting spot of the Resistance where a few of its members constantly stayed to keep an ear out for news._

_Fortunately she ran into Kakashi-sensei as soon as she arrived and hurriedly explained my story and hers. Together they formed a quick plan and raced back to the Uchiha estate. Through teamwork, the two managed to surprise and subdue the guards inside and release the entire Inner Resistance. _

_Hinata mentioned that it was rather difficult to keep them all from rushing to our aide immediately upon release, especially Uzumaki Naruto, whom she kept a firm grip on with one arm, and her recently reunited cousin, Hyuuga Neji with the other. She didn't want to let either go or out of her sight. _

_The Inner Resistance huddled in those dark, damp depths of the dungeons and formulated an even quicker plan of attack than the one made between Kakashi-sensei and herself. This was made much easier by the fact that almost all that were present had a well-oiled idea of the running and lay of the castle._

_As the least recognizable of the group, as no one but Itachi and myself knew of Hinata's existence in the castle to begin with and then her eventual freedom, she volunteered to be the one in the crowd to start the whole plan into action. Several protests were made, mostly by her fiancé, but she stood her ground. _

_The rest of the story followed as has been related in previous entries.._

_(Two Weeks Later…)_

_Report: Bit of News from Members of the Resistance_

_For now I reside with Hyuuga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino in the stronghold of the Resistance camp. The rest of the 'missing heirs' from the Inner Resistance have joined forces and are taking back control of their own lands. We are to wait here for their return._

_Thus far, the Uzumaki kingdom and the Country of Wind have completely shaken off its enemies and are slowly working their way through to the Nara kingdom._

_(Three Days Later…)_

_Report: Excited Report from Hyuuga Hinata_

_Hinata's cousin, Neji Hyuuga, has been reunited with his wife Tenten._

_The Nara kingdom has regained its footing and are slowly but surely taking back what is rightfully theirs. Ino is ecstatic._

_(One Week Later…)_

_Report: Official News from Resistance Members_

_The Nara and Inuzuka kingdom have been reclaimed._

_(Twelve Days Later…)_

_The Aburame kingdom has been reclaimed, and their heir, Aburame Shino has returned._

_(Two Months Later…)_

_Report: Official Announcement from Returning Resistance Members_

_All kingdoms that were once under Itachi and his Akatsuki hold have finally been broken. The heirs have returned, or have promised to return once the three of us have been returned as well._

_(Three Weeks Later…)_

_Report: Official Announcement from the Uzumaki Lands_

_Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata have officially re-announced their wedding, and have set the date. Everyone from the Inner Resistance has been invited. The wedding itself, believe it or not, has been set to take place in a mere week! Hinata and Naruto stated that they have waited long enough as it is._

_(Two Months Later…)_

_Report: My Own Information_

_Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino are to be wed today. Uzumaki Hinata and I were extended the honor of participating in the wedding. Who would have thought?_

_(Three Days Later…)_

_Report: My Own Musings…_

_Sasuke suggested that we go back to my parent's kingdom once more last night. He says that he wishes to give a formal proposal before them, not a contract written on a piece of paper. It's very romantic, but I do not believe he should be away from his kingdom too much right now with how rocky things were left. However, he is insistent. _

_It's amazing to witness the change in people since this whole incident began. Everyone is forming alliances as friends instead of military strength, especially as no one wished to sink to such a level of discontent that we are become lost once again. _

_Naruto and Hinata Uzumaki are in constant contact with us now, as are Shikamaru and Ino Nara. We are also constantly sending courtiers over to the surrounding kingdoms, and they are returning the favor in the like. _

_Sometimes it takes a tragedy to make people realize what they could have had. And the fortunate few are given a second chance to make things right again. Traditions are important of course, but there are a few traditions that we are changing that differ from the ideals of our parents. Namely, marrying through nothing but ink and seals. _

_We have all decided and agreed to allow our future children to marry whomever they love. Regardless of heritage; Sasuke says this now, but if he ever has a daughter I wouldn't wonder if he rejects _anyone_ she chooses._

_(One Month Later…)_

_Report: Quick Report from Myself_

_I haven't had much time to write lately. Too much has been going on, so I can only be brief…_

_I am now officially Uchiha Sakura, and I couldn't be happier. The wedding was beautiful, something I shall never forget as long as I live. And the night that followed was absolutely breathtaking, but I shall not divulge further on that. _

_Sasuke has successfully reclaimed control of his rightful throne. Many were distrustful with all the rumors that circulated around, and I can understand their worries. They all believed him to be dead for so long. Who can blame them? I myself believed it! _

_Things have settled down exceedingly, fortunately. The wedding did a double duty of quenching the uncertainties and fears of the people, and many continue along their daily lives as if nothing ever happened. _

_Hopefully all days remain in this peace, but as long as I am by his side I shall not worry. My fairytale ending has come true. What more could I ever ask for?_

_(Two years later…)_

_Uchiha Reiji is now a week old. She has hair the color of midnight, and eyes of emerald. I did not think I could feel happier then I do now. Marrying Sasuke was my dream come true, and now it feels whole once more. Complete. _

_And I don't think I have ever seen such a change in Sasuke before. His gentleness with her is astounding, and the bliss in his eyes is evident to everyone. _

_Oh, don't get me wrong. He still puts on a tough front when he's before an audience, but set his daughter in his arms and he just about melts like ice left out in the sun. _

_Speaking of Reiji, it seems that she is now awake and hungry…_

_(Ten Months Later…)_

_Reiji is up and running already! I cannot fathom where she gets all her energy from, but today she spoke her first words, "Dada." Sasuke is ecstatic. I do believe that that girl will have more sway over him then she will ever realize…_

_(Fourteen Months Later…)_

_Uchiha Kiyoshi was born five days ago. He is the mirror like-ness of his father. And far quieter then Reiji ever was. Reiji herself is now two and talking to anyone and anything that will listen. She is fascinated by her younger brother, and has already asked to hold him several times. We have allowed it under our strict supervision, and I have never seen her sit so still or so quietly. _

_(Three Years Later…)_

_Mother is visiting once again, and I believe I will need her aide soon._

_Reiji is now five years old and only Naruto has ever been able to match her energy and stamina, although she is fiercely protective of Kiyoshi and will slow her pace for him and him alone. _

_Kiyoshi is three and rarely leaves my side, unless it is to watch Reiji learn how to spare from her father. Then he sits infatuated by the pair of them. _

_I have tried to keep up with my own training, but I've had to stop recently. I swear Sasuke believes I'll break every time I'm with child! Oh well, there isn't much I can do about it, and keeping up with two toddlers is enough exercise as it is. _

_Tonight I read Reiji and Kiyoshi a fairytale in their nursery before they were put to bed. I heard Sasuke listening before he even appeared in the doorway, and invited him in. He smirked at me as he sat with the three of us, and Reiji seemed unsettled throughout the story. _

_When we were finished, she asked me how I knew that Sasuke was there. I exchanged a glance with Sasuke before smiling at her and answering, "I heard it in the echo of a faerie."

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**Closing Comments:**To those who have been with Re-Writing a Fairytale since its beginnings, to those who joined along the way, to those who read it after its completion and to those who have followed my writings from previous stories….

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Year of 2007 is at an end, and so is this fanfiction. May you have a blessed New Year in 2008, and may you never lose your fervor for reading and/or writing stories.

May We Meet Again. Until Then,

MidnightRosebud


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